Posted on February, 21 2008

Forty hydropower dams are to be built in the Vu Gia - Thu Bon River Basin, Quang Nam Province, just upstream of the ancient town of Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage site in central Vietnam. Scheduled to be built over the next few decades, these dams will have significant repercussions: upheaval of the river’s natural ecology and problems for local economies.

The impacts of this extraordinary amount of dams in the area will reach far and wide. Over the coming years, changes to river water flow and sediment levels will impact aquatic resources and the aesthetic of riverside towns, which will affect local economy and tourism. Changes to river flooding patterns will increase river and coastal erosion, affecting lives of people living along the river and disrupting their agriculture practice.

To address these potential threats to local economies and the environment, an inter-sectoral workshop will be hosted by Quang Nam Provincial People’s Committee (PPC) this coming March. Key areas of discussion will include reviewing recommended changes to infrastructure development plans, strengthening the role of river basin management institutions, and monitoring river water flow, sediment and salinity levels. In addition, focus will be put on recommendations from the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the plan, as well as the results of a recent study by the Vietnamese government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). 

“Hydropower potential of Quang Nam is earmarked to contribute an important share of the national electricity production targets, and this sets a challenge to the provincial authorities responsible for integrated and sustainable management of the Vu Gia-Thu Bon Basin and the coastal area,” says Marc Goichot, infrastructure specialist for WWF Greater Mekong Programme.

“Decisions to be made are crucial for the development of the province, and the workshop aims to raise the capacity of Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DoNRE) to measure the implications infrastructure choices will have on other economic sectors, with emphasis on aquatic resources and the environment,” he added.

WWF, as a partner of the Wetland Alliance Programme (WAP), is working alongside Quang Nam DoNRE to organize the workshop planned for March. Expected to attend are provincial government agencies from Quang Nam, local communities in Hoi An Delta, provincial agencies from nearby Da Nang Province, also in the Thu Bon-Vu Gia Basin, central government agency, the ADB, and the World Bank. The workshop will be co-chaired by Quang Nam PPC, DoNRE, and the Vietnam National Mekong Commission.

For more information, please contact:

Marc Goichot
IRBM Coordinator, Living Mekong Programme
WWF Lao PDR Country Programme,
Tel: +856 21 216080
Fax: 856 21 251883
Email: marc.goichot@wwfgreatermekong.org