Dam Development Dims Luang Prabang’s Historic Charm

via France24, 21 February 2024: The construction of the $3 billion Luang Prabang hydroelectric dam on the Mekong River is raising concerns about the future of the nearby ancient town of Luang Prabang. Critics argue that the dam, part of Laos’s ambition to become the “battery of Southeast Asia,” could alter the river’s natural flow, impact the local ecosystem and fisheries, and detract from the town’s cultural and historical allure, potentially affecting tourism and local livelihoods.

Experts warn that the barrage will change the contours of the Mekong’s banks and turn the mighty waterway into a series of lakes — detracting from the character of Luang Prabang as a riverside town and putting at risk its UNESCO listing.

With its blend of traditional Laotian and colonial French architecture, Luang Prabang has long been one of the poor, reclusive country’s major tourist draws.

Many people working in the town’s tourism industry fear their livelihoods are at risk.

“Once they have the dam the Mekong will be different: it will be just like a pool,” a tour guide in Luang Prabang told AFP.

Laos is a one-party communist state that does not tolerate dissent, and like many of those who spoke to AFP for this story, the tour guide did so on condition of anonymity.

Source: ‘You can’t imagine the damage’: Dam threatens historic Laos town