Dam blamed as dolphins vanish
The last remaining Irrawaddy dolphins have stopped coming to a stretch of the Mekong river in Preah Rumkel commune due to the Don Sahong hydropower dam in nearby Laos, locals have warned. The activists from Stung Treng province say the dam, which is less than two kilometers upstream from the Cambodia-Laos border, has harmed biodiversity in the part of the river near Anlong Chher Teal, which was always home to the dolphins and had plentiful fish. Chum Huot, a representative for the Youth for Social and Environmental Protection group, said Lao authorities had now blocked the only channel for fish to migrate to allow for construction of the dam. He said local people have lost their source of food and income, since the area is an ecotourism attraction where visitors come to see the rare dolphins in the wild.
