Sen. Webb: Multinational Action Urgently Needed to Avert Environmental Disaster in Mekong River Region of Southeast Asia
Senator Jim Webb, Press Releases | September 24, 2010
Senator Jim Webb (D-VA), chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, chaired a committee hearing yesterday on the “potentially catastrophic consequences” of present plans for building mainstem dams along the Mekong River. . Studies have concluded that constructing just one mainstem dam along the River which flows through China, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam could have devastating effects on the river and on the more than 60 million people who depend upon it for food and livelihoods. Approximately 26 mainstem dams are currently being planned along the river.
Construction of hydropower dams is advancing recklessly in the absence of agreed-upon environmental standards and in a manner which could in fairly short order destroy the ecological and cultural environment of the region,” said Sen. Webb. “China’s refusal to recognize the water rights of downstream nations is particularly troublesome, given its ability to hold back the water near its source. There is a disturbing lack of awareness in the U.S. and Asia of the immediacy of this threat.
In addition to environmental concerns,” noted Webb, “the U.S. has a strategic interest in ensuring that this situation does not become a source of conflict in the region. We should encourage the establishment of multilateral structures that can balance each nation’s economic development needs with the protection of the environment and the security of more than 60 million people.”
Testifying at the hearing were Joseph Yun, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Southeast Asia; Richard Cronin, Senior Associate, The Stimson Center; Aviva Imhof, Campaigns Director, International Rivers; and Dekila Chungyalpa, Director for the Greater Mekong Program, World Wildlife Fund.
The Administration recognizes the critical need to work closely with the countries in Southeast Asia to foster rational use and sustainable development of Mekong River resources before irreparable environmental harm has been done and before the security of the region is jeopardized by improper planning and exploitation of this important waterway,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary Yun.
Although the Administration launched the Lower Mekong Initiative to engage the countries of mainland Southeast Asia, Dr. Cronin testified that this effort remains unfocused and unfunded. In particular, the effort lacks programs to address infrastructure development in the region and the more immediate environmental threats from overuse and pollution.
Ms. Imhof and Ms. Chungyalpa testified to the important role played by banks and companies that finance hydropower dams in the region. They said that these institutions should be held to internationally recognized environmental standards when financing dam and electricity grid construction.
The financing of infrastructure projects by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank presents an opportunity to influence regional environmental practices. To this end, Senator Webb will introduce legislation next week to curtail funding for hydropower and electricity projects funded by ADB and the World Bank if they do not meet accepted environmental standards. This language would instruct the U.S. executive director at the Bank to vote against financing a project unless the Treasury decides to certify to Congress that the project adheres to internationally recognized environmental standards, protects the rights of individuals affected by the project, and reflects a multilateral approach to development along the Mekong River.
Senator Webb has had a continuous personal involvement in Asian and Pacific affairs that long predates his time in the Senate. Over the past year, he has traveled to all of the countries in mainland Southeast Asia and examined water use practices and plans for the river’s development. He has engaged numerous U.S. and regional diplomats, policymakers, environmental engineers, and academics who conveyed the importance of the Mekong River to Southeast Asia’s economic sustainability and human security.
Full text of Sen. Webb’s opening remarks:
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Hearing on Challenges to Water and Security in Southeast Asia
September 23, 2010
Today’s hearing will explore the critical intersection of the environment, foreign policy, and security in Southeast Asia—a nexus that occurs alongside the Mekong River. Often called “the mother other all rivers,” the Mekong originates on the Tibetan Plateau, and flows nearly 3,000 miles down into Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam before emptying through the Mekong Delta into the South China Sea. It is the world’s 12th longest river and the center of a nearly 500,000-mile watershed across the region. The Lower Mekong River in mainland Southeast Asia is a source of water, food, and economic opportunity for more than 60 million people. In this area, freshwater fisheries provide at least $2 billion and up to $9 billion annually in income and approximately 80 percent of the animal protein consumed by the population.
Given the vital role of the river in this region, scientists, environmentalists, and policymakers have great concerns that current designs to construct hydropower dams along the Mekong may disrupt the region’s balance. This hearing will examine the risks of this development; the environmental, economic, sovereignty, and security challenges these dams pose for the Mekong River; the challenge of managing transboundary water resources through multilateral cooperation; and the role that the United States can play in promoting this approach.
Currently, China plans to construct more than 15 dams on the mainstem of the Upper Mekong River in Tibet and Yunnan provinces. In Yunnan, Chinese authorities are planning a cascade of eight large to mega-size dams, four of which have been completed. The largest of these four, the Xiaowan Dam, is the world’s highest compound concrete arch dam—taller than the Hoover Dam. Its reservoir will hold 15 billion cubic meters of water. For comparison, the Three Gorges Dam in China holds 20 billion cubic meters of water. Future dams in the Yunnan cascade will have even larger reservoirs, enabling China to regulate the water flow to suit its needs.
For their part, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam are planning to construct or finance the construction of up to 13 dams on the lower half of the river’s mainstem. Compared to China’s Xiaowan dam, most of these dams will be a quarter of the size, in terms of height and hydroelectric capacity. Additional dams have been planned or constructed along the Mekong’s tributaries. These dams are intended to generate electricity in support of growing regional energy demand. Some of the electricity will even be exported—particularly from Laos, which has voiced its goal to become “the battery” of Southeast Asia. The dams may also be used to store water, increase irrigation, and contribute to flood control.
However, these dams will also affect the river’s water flow, fish population, and wildlife. Low environmental standards and weak enforcement of those standards may allow these dams to bring catastrophic damage to the river’s ecosystem. Moreover, the uncoordinated construction of these dams may threaten the entire region’s stability if, as projected, food production decreases and countries begin to compete for access to water. The economic benefits derived from electricity production could be short-lived in this case if tensions over access to transboundary water resources flash into greater political instability or conflict.
Over the past year, I have traveled to all of the countries in mainland Southeast Asia. During these visits, and here at home, I have examined water use practices and plans for the river’s development. I have engaged numerous U.S. and regional diplomats, policymakers, environmental engineers, and academics who conveyed the importance of the Mekong River to Southeast Asia’s economic sustainability and human security.
In particular, the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia—the largest body of freshwater in Southeast Asia—plays a critical role in the region’s food production system. During the wet season, when the Mekong’s water levels are highest, water flows from the river into the lake, filling it up. When water levels drop with the dry season, water flows reverse and the lake empties back into the river. Nowhere else in the world is the flow reversal, or “river pulse” so large. The region’s fish species and migration patterns depend upon this river pulse, with fish migrating up river as far as Yunnan province in China. The volume of fish migration in the Mekong is estimated to be 100 times larger than volume of fish migration in the Pacific Northwest. Annual floods also naturally restore soil nutrients and purge pollutants, facilitating agricultural productivity. Consequently, Thailand and Vietnam have become the world’s leading exporters of rice.
The Tonle Sap’s river pulse, the extent of fish migration, and the flow of sediments into the Delta are all at risk from the unchecked construction of hydropower dams along the Mekong River mainstream. With mounting evidence, experts estimate that existing and planned hydropower dams may block the migration of 70 percent of the most commercially important fish. Decreasing water flows—particularly in the dry season—may contribute to saltwater intrusion into the Mekong Delta and threaten freshwater rice production. In July, I traveled to the Delta, where environmental scientists reported that over the last 20 years, seawater has crept 20 kilometers farther up into the Delta. They expect this intrusion will worsen as upstream hydropower dams further restrict water flow. Given the severity of these risks and their transboundary consequences, it is vital to consider ways to address water resources management and the development of hydropower dams through multilateral cooperation. The Mekong River Commission—established in 1995 by Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam—is one regional organization attempting this approach. In August 2009, I met with the Mekong River Commission in Laos, and observed the valuable role it plays in collecting data on the river, forecasting the impact of hydropower development, and catalyzing a regional approach to water management.
I am concerned, however, that the effectiveness of this organization is limited by two major factors. First, the lack of membership by the two Upper Mekong countries, namely China and Burma. China is one of the few countries in the world that does not recognize the riparian rights of downstream nations; yet, it is the gatekeeper for the Mekong River and all of the water that flows downstream from the Tibetan plateau. Without China’s meaningful participation in regional river management and consideration of downstream nations, the Lower Mekong countries are vulnerable to China’s control over water flows. This concern should include China’s potential ability to hold back the river at its source.
Second, the Commission lacks the power to prevent environmental and economic harms that may occur when parties fail to account for regional impacts in the development of hydropower. It also lacks the power to hold nations liable for environmental or economic damage resulting from these developments. Southeast Asia is in need of a methodology—either political or economic—that can raise environmental standards, mitigate the negative impacts of water use and development, and ultimately hold countries responsible for their actions.
With U.S. participation, the Asian Development Bank’s financing of infrastructure projects presents one opportunity to influence regional environmental practices. The ADB is the only regional organization to which all Mekong countries belong, and it has played a significant role in funding the development of hydropower and electricity transmission systems throughout the region.
Presently, this Committee is developing legislation to authorize the U.S. capital contribution to the Asian Development Bank. This bill also provides an opportunity to revisit the role that the ADB plays in Southeast Asia, particularly in financing infrastructure projects and improving environmental standards. To this end, I have been working with input from several organizations—including the World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, International Rivers, and the Stimson Center—to develop statutory language that would raise the environmental standards for hydropower dam or electricity transmission projects financed by ADB. This language would instruct the U.S. executive director at the Bank to vote against financing a project, if the Treasury decides not to certify to Congress that the project adheres to internationally recognized environmental standards; protects the rights of individuals affected by the project; and reflects a multilateral approach to development along the Mekong River.
I have shared the language under consideration with our non-government witnesses, and I would be interested in hearing any thoughts they have on that and any other policy suggestions. I look forward to working with Chairman Kerry and the Committee to include this language in the ADB authorization.
U.S. attention to the health and well-being of the Mekong River in Southeast Asia can be a vital factor in facilitating a positive, multilateral solution to the risks facing this region. Additionally, we can encourage other countries to adopt a long-term approach toward developing the Mekong River that would balance each nation’s economic development with the protection of the environment and the overall security for more than 60 million people.