LAOS' NAM THEUN 2 DAM STARTS ILLEGAL OPERATION

BECAUSE THE WORLD SO BLIND AND BELIEVE ALL LAO DANG LIAR SO NOW WHAT
CAN THE WORLD DO NOTHING...... THE WORLD JUST KISS LAO DANG
ASS.......................!
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Read More: Asian Development Bank , Dams , European Investment Bank ,
Green Energy , Green News , International Rivers , Laos , World Bank ,
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Comments 1 Laos' largest and most controversial hydropower project,
the World Bank-funded Nam Theun 2 Dam, began full operation last week.
It did so in violation of legal obligations to provide compensation
and livelihood restoration to affected communities. In an attempt to
avoid its obligations, the Nam Theun 2 Power Company called the start
of power production "commercial export" of electricity rather than
"commercial operation," which would require compliance with Concession
Agreement provisions.

Nam Theun 2 is being financed by the World Bank, the Asian Development
Bank, the European Investment Bank, government-backed financiers from
France, Norway, Sweden, and Thailand, and a host of private banks.
These institutions have maintained their support for the project
despite violations of their policies and the project's Concession
Agreement. For example, last week's commercial operation started
before resettled communities received irrigated land, and before
downstream communities received compensation for flooded gardens and
alternative water supply sources, to which they are legally entitled.

My colleague Ikuko Matsumoto, the Lao program director of
International Rivers, just returned from a fact-finding trip to the
Nam Theun 2 region. She reports that the project violates people's
human rights by preventing access to clean water and by destroying
critical food sources without providing compensation. On the Nakai
Plateau, where 6,200 people have been resettled to make way for the
reservoir, villagers have not been provided with irrigation systems.
This violates legal commitments made in the project's Concession
Agreement.

The project is also affecting around 120,000 people who live
downstream along the Xe Bang Fai River. Since the project started full
operation, the water level of the upper Xe Bang Fai River has
increased by 3.6 meters or 12 feet. The power company has warned
communities living along the Xe Bang Fai not to drink the river water
because it is contaminated. However, replacement groundwater pumps
which were provided to communities are not functioning or the
groundwater is unsuitable for domestic consumption. Last week, only
two groundwater pumps out of seven were working in Navan Tai Village,
and in Mahaxai Tai Village only two pumps were working. Villagers in
Boueng Xe Village were told that the groundwater contained elevated
levels of iron, making it unsuitable for human consumption.

In addition, riverbank vegetable gardens along the Xe Bang Fai have
been flooded by the rising river, but communities have not yet
received compensation, in violation of World Bank policy.

Moreover, serious erosion has been occurring downstream along the Xe
Bang Fai River as a result of the fluctuating water levels since
December 2009, when NTPC began test operations. No compensation for
the riverbank gardens that were washed away has been paid to the
villagers.

The response of the Nam Theun 2 Power Company to these criticisms was
ludicrous. After the company proudly announced in a press release that
it was "beginning commercial export of electricity to Thailand," a
spokesperson argued that this did not mean it had started commercial
operations in a legal sense. "This is still really part of the testing
and conditioning process, but we still have managed to obtain a sales
license, so instead of generating electricity and getting nothing for
it we're now able to sell our test energy," the spokesperson said.

In the meantime, Ikuko Matsumoto made an urgent appeal to the project
sponsors. "As funders of Nam Theun 2, the Asian Development Bank, the
World Bank, the European Investment Bank and the Equator Principles
Banks have an obligation to ensure that their requirements are upheld
and that promises to Lao villagers are kept," Ikuko said after she
returned from the project site. "Dam operation should be suspended
until the Nam Theun 2 Power Company complies with its legal
obligations."
.

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