Cambodia PM opens country’s largest dam despite opposition

Cambodian premier Hun Sen yesterday opened the country’s largest hydropower scheme, swatting aside dire warnings about the environmental impact of the $780mn project and its effect on local communities.Backed by Chinese funding, the impoverished Southeast Asian nation has embarked on a dam-building spree in recent years, as it tries to boost its energy capacity and jump-start its economy.But the 400 megawatt Lower Sesan 2 is one of several dams criticised by environmentalists for threatening crucial fish stocks along Mekong River waterways.An estimated 5,000 people – mostly from marginalised indigenous groups – have been resettled due to the project, according to activists, while a few hundred remain.Hun Sen strongly defended the controversial scheme at the official opening in the northeastern province of Stung Treng, saying affected villagers were compensated with houses and land.The United Nations has previously raised concerns about the dam while some scientists had joined calls for it to be halted over fears for the region’s food supply.The NGO International Rivers has warned it will have a “costly catastrophic impact on the Mekong River’s fisheries and biodiversity”.Maureen Harris, Southeast Asia programme director with the group, said the threat is “especially acute in Cambodia”, where local people get up to 80% of their animal protein intake from freshwater fisheries.Built along tributaries of the Mekong, the Lower Sesan 2 is a joint venture between Cambodia’s Royal Group (39%), Chinese state-owned Hydrolancang International Energy (51%) and Vietnam-based EVN International (10%).