Article,
Understanding the impact of hydropower developments in the context of upstream?downstream relations in the Mekong river basin
Sustainability Science, (November 2012)
Abstract
Hydropower developments along the main
stem of the Mekong River and its tributaries cause transboundary
effects within the Mekong Basin Region, which
comprises parts of six countries. On the one hand, the
provision of hydropower triggers economic development
and helps to meet the rising energy demand of the Mekong
riparian countries, especially China, Thailand, and
Vietnam. On the other hand, the negative impact of dam
construction, mainly altered water flow and sediment load,
has severe impacts on the environment and the livelihoods
of the rural Mekong population. Several discrepancies exist
in the needs, demands, and challenges of upstream versus
downstream countries. Against the common apprehension
that downstream countries are powerlessly exposed to
mainly negative impacts whereas upstream countries unilaterally
benefit from hydropower, the authors argue that
upstream?downstream relations are not really clear-cut.
This conclusion is based on a consideration of the complex
power play between Mekong riparians, with a focus on
recent power trade interactions. The article investigates the
consequences of hydropower dams for the Mekong region
as well as the role of supranational players, such as the
Mekong River Commission and the Greater Mekong
Subregion Initiative, on the hydropower debate. It is not
nations that are the winners or losers in the hydropower
schemes in the Mekong, but rather parts of the riparian
population: a few influential and powerful elites versus the
large mass of rural poor.
