MRC approves guidelines for hydropower projects

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MRC approves guidelines for hydropower projects

This aerial photo from July 15, 2020 shows the Ban Ladhan Mekong River Super Major Bridge some 230 km north of Vientiane, capital of Laos. CREC 8 VIENTIANE - The governing board of the Mekong River Commission MRC has approved a milestone document that clarifies guidelines for hydropower project designs to minimize the impact on ecosystems and communities along the largest waterway in Southeast Asia.

The MRC joint committee agreed on a guideline on the Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment TbEIA because of the transboundary nature of a river flowing through the four MRC member countries, namely Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, a TbEIA would measure how a project affects a neighbor, according to a statement issued by the MRC on Tuesday.

The agreement allows the TbEIA to be tested and applied by countries and developers, with the help of the MRC's technical support. It gauges how a hydropower dam or any large water infrastructure project, such as irrigation diversion or navigation work, affects issues like water flow, sediment transport, water quality and fisheries, which may adversely affect river ecosystems and vulnerable communities at the transnational or regional level.

After years of discussion, this is a historic breakthrough for MRC cooperation. The two guidelines point out exactly what can be done to minimize cross-border environmental impacts, the statement quoted CEO of the MRC Secretariat Anoulak Kittikhoun as saying. Members will see how beneficial the guidance is to their own country and local communities, but to working together with their neighbors. It has undergone a long process of negotiation and clarification as for the PDG for hydropower projects. In 2009, the first PDG was approved, in line with each country's original commitments to the 1995 Mekong Agreement. It covered six areas : sediment transport and geomorphology, water quality, aquatic life, fish and fisheries, dam safety and navigation.

Over the years, Mekong stakeholders identified gaps in the PDG that were also transborder issues such as hydrology and hydraulics, and riparian communities and river-based livelihood. The millions of fishing and farming families that rely on the Mekong for daily sustenance depend on the Mekong.

Boats travel along the Mekong River in front of high-rise properties and under-construction buildings in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on May 12, 2020. The updated PDG can provide guidance for operations for current hydropower projects. The statement said that it can provide guidance for good design, plus effective mitigation measures regarding construction and operation for future projects.

The PDG is gearing us toward projects that are economically viable and environmentally friendly, more protective of the river's resources and safeguarding people's livelihoods, said Kittikhoun.

The MRC's joint committee meets twice a year to discuss management, organization and cooperation.

The MRC, an intergovernmental organization, was established in 1995 to boost regional dialogue and cooperation in the Lower Mekong River Basin, serving as a regional platform for water diplomacy and a knowledge hub.