06 May 2020

Cambodia has just suspended the construction of a massive hydroelectric dam on the Mekong River near the city of Sambor in Kratié province.

This enormous Sambor Dam was set to be built near the city, roughly thirty kilometers north of Kratié, as part of Cambodia's energy plan for 2020-2030. It comes as welcome relief to the international NGO WWF, which has long championed the protection of this legendary Southeast Asian river's ecosystem. "We dodged a bullet," the organization declared in an article published on its website three weeks ago. Financially backed by China, the project would have created Cambodia's largest dam. The monolith would have stretched nearly 10 kilometers in length—enough to utterly devastate the local biodiversity.

Nature at a Crossroads

Located between Kratié and the Laotian border, the dam would have threatened a particularly rare and endangered species on our planet: the Irrawaddy dolphins. Only 92 individuals of this species inhabit this stretch of the Mekong, despite it being one of the species' preferred habitats. Already facing extinction according to the IUCN, this dam would certainly have worsened the plight of these freshwater dolphins.

Moreover, placing such a structure in the heart of a river inevitably disrupts its natural cycle. The Sambor zone is particularly renowned as a major migration corridor for countless freshwater fish species. A project of this scale would have completely halted this vital movement and dealt a severe blow to fishing in the region.

The Human Dimension

The Mekong River in its entirety is home to over 60 million people along its banks across 6 different countries—China upstream, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam downstream. WWF estimates that in Cambodia, 80% of the population relies on fish as their primary protein source. Fishing is therefore a vital sector, comparable in importance to rice cultivation. If freshwater fish populations were endangered by a dam, the daily lives of dozens of fishing villages would inevitably suffer.

Preserving the Mekong's various ecosystems is crucial for a large portion of Cambodia's population, urban and rural alike. Yet so is access to energy. The power generated by the dam could have benefited countless households, which is why finding alternatives is essential. Solar energy is already gaining momentum in Cambodia, a country blessed with numerous solar parks, particularly in Kampong Speu province. Projects moving in this direction will likely follow, potentially helping achieve the goal set by various WWF offices in Southeast Asia: 100% renewable energy across the region by 2050.

Thibault BourruA passionate devotee of literature and Asia, Thibault shares his experiences through his writing.