Luang Prabang’s Heritage at Risk from Mekong River Dams

via Bangkok Post, 19 February 2024: Laos and Thailand plan to build more hydropower dams on the Lower Mekong River, despite the ecological and cultural damage caused by existing ones. Luang Prabang faces threats from the Xayaburi and upcoming Luang Prabang Dams, risking seismic activity, cultural loss, and altered river ecosystems.

While almost 10 hydropower mega-dams have been removed across the United States to revitalise rivers and people’s lives, the governments of Laos and Thailand have reached an agreement to construct more such dams on the mainstream of the Lower Mekong River. Eleven dams are planned, despite the devastating consequences of two already operational dams on the river’s ecosystem and the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on it.

“Our policymakers damage our river, sacred traditional practices and heritage,” said a Luang Prabang resident.

The ancient capital of Laos, Luang Prabang is facing threats to its riverscape, water resources and livelihoods due to the Xayaburi Dam (around 150km downstream) and the upcoming Luang Prabang Dam (around 25km upstream). The latter is considered an “extreme risk” project as it is dangerously close to an active fault line and could trigger earthquakes and dam breaks. Following Xayaburi Dam’s construction in 2012, an unnatural flow throughout the year has created a backwater effect and increased the average low water level at Luang Prabang’s riverfront on the Mekong River, and its tributary Nam Khan.

Source: Bangkok Post – The day dams silenced Luang Prabang