Activists alarmed after PM promotes Don Sahong
As construction on the Don Sahong dam near the Cambodia-Laos border passes its halfway point, activists and locals are increasingly concerned over the disappearance of Irawaddy dolphins and incidences of illness they suspect are caused by the muddied water. “The waters downstream in Cambodia have become opaque,” said Chum Hour, an environmental activist who went to visit the Don Sahong hydropower dam last week. “Before, we saw a few dolphins, but now they are gone.” Mr. Hour’s trip, during which he took photographs showing that the dam is over halfway built, was inspired by recent remarks from Prime Minister Hun Sen saying the dam would have no impact “in terms of lack of water or fish migrations.” Mr. Hour said the prime minister “should reconsider and intervene to delay the construction.” Meach Mean, an environmental researcher, said Mr. Hour was right to be concerned, as the endangered dolphins—there are just over 70 left in the Mekong River—had migrated to the Laotian side of the border.
