Jameson Berkow
Probe International Editorial
April 21, 2009

The Save the Mekong coalition [PDFver here] is fighting to keep the governments of Cambodia, Thailand and Laos from building 11 massive hydroelectric dams along the Mekong River mainstream. If construction is allowed to proceed, the dams will disrupt fish migration patterns; effectively putting an end to what is currently one of the world’s most productive inland fisheries. More than 60 million people are fed via the Mekong River fishing industry, which is estimated to generate between US$2-3 billion in revenue annually.

The undammed Mekong is also home to such endangered species as the Irrawaddy Dolphin and the Mekong Giant Catfish. Both of these extremely rare fish varieties and countless other migratory species of fish will face extinction if forced to contend with the unnatural barriers to migration created by more dams.

Plans to build large dams on the Mekong mainstream were originally proposed in the 1990s, but were quickly shelved due a public outcry over the inevitable negative impacts. Declining fish stocks and unpredictable water levels caused by dam construction would have potentially destroyed the livelihoods of millions.

With the plan to dam the Mekong recently revived, the Save the Mekong coalition has brought together non-government organizations, local people, academics, journalists, artists and ordinary people from within the Mekong countries and internationally in an effort to stop construction of the dams before they can cause irreparable environmental and economic harm to the region.

Probe International stands with the Save the Mekong coalition in opposing this irresponsible plan and urges all of its supporters to do the same by signing the Save the Mekong online petition.