Do you think hydroelectric power is environmental friendly?
Not really. Because Hydroelectric power used to come along with
notorious dams.
Now, Burmese military regime and Thai government are planning to build
several large dams along Salween river. Actually, Thai gov is not going
to build any large dam more in their country due to environmental
impacts. So, they are planning to build dams in Burma and get
hydroelectric out of them. And not only electric they will get, they
will also redirect water from dams to Thai’s large lakes and
river with canals.
Burma stupid generals just know how to get money. They do not consider
how much damage will be caused by these large dams to the country. The
environmental damage cannot be changed back once happened.
Once these dams are built, Burma will suffer from these dams eternally.
Dams cause several serious problems.
People in that region will be forcibly evicted from their lands to make
way for dams. Evidence shows that these people have often been left
economically, culturally and psychologically devastated.
The ecosystem of the whole region will be damaged completely.
An un-dammed river is dynamic, always changing and
comprised of many
different ecological niches (specific place or role an organism has in
its ecosystem). Ecosystems and cultures are dependent on this dynamism.
Large dams will destroy the delicate balance between the river and its
watershed, a relationship, which may have taken many thousands of years
to evolve. [source]
There are lots of factors more on this environmental issue. It will
lead to deforestation and erosion due to flooding and after effects.
All river animals and land animals in Salween region will face
extinction again affecting the ecosystem. You can read the complete
explanation about environmental damage such as Flooding, Physical
changes, Loss of species, Climate, Disease, Water Diversion and more at
this
page. [salweenwatch.org]
.
Actually, last week’s issue of NDD
WINC
#237 made me write this. Read the
complete document in pdf format here.
Links:
Salween Watch:
environment
EarthRights
International - Burma Project
Thailand
and Burma to
Sign MOU to Build Hydropower Dams on the Salween River Despite Grave
Human
Rights Concerns
EarthRights
International - Burma Project / Flooding the Future:
Karen
River Watch Forum: Let Salween's River flow freely and stop dams
project now
http://www.freewebs.com/ka_rw2003/SL
dam.jpg
Salween dam site
dam map
Technorati
Tags: Myanmar, Burma,
environment
Oh My God!
ReplyDeleteSuck! Its really suck! :(
oh gosh, I had not read about this. it's awful.
ReplyDeletethey are just giving all our resources away for a few dollars.
yeah. they are selling out everything. first, forests. now river, forest, land, everything. even if one day they choke to death after eating tooo much, Burma will be left with the land with disasters.
ReplyDeletePls read "Drowning Burma" as an update.
ReplyDeletethanks for the info. i didn't noe about this.
ReplyDelete