Pianporn Deetes, who has a degree in English literature, is turning away from the classics to help villagers in the region fight against mega-dam projects that are ruining their livelihood
The latest case in point involves about 20 hydropower dam schemes in China, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia - the countries through which mekong flows, that would have a significant impact on ecology and people's way of life.
"In northern Thailand, for example, the water level of Mekong, which is the world's most productive fresh-water resources with 1,300 different aquatic varieties, this year dropped to a record low. I was in Chiang Rai on March 6-7 to assess the situation. The water level of mekong was less than a metre high and villagers said it was probably the lowest in 40 years.
"Drought and climate change have contributed to the record low level of water, but huge dams along the Mekong, which started in the Tibetan Plateau, are probably the bigger culprits. Villagers reported that the mekong level has fluctuated unnaturally since the Chinese built the dams, the first of which was completed in 1992.
"In fact, hydro-electric dams are old-fashioned, using technology that was invented a century ago. They became popular in the US and Europe during the 1920-30s. Today, they're outdated and the French have even dismantled some old dams. According to the World Commission, there are still about 45,000 dams worldwide at present.
"If a new dam is going to be built today, the project needs to gain public acceptance before it goes ahead. This means public participation in the decision-making process involving people living in the areas where the dam will be built or people living nearby.
"Secondly, there must be a comprehensive assessment of other options such as solar cells, small-scale hydro-power schemes, wind energy etc before the decision to build a mega dam is made.
"In addition, the process must include demand-side management to boost efficiency in energy consumption," says Pianporn, who graduated from Chiang Mai University with a degree in English literature.
"My parents used to work as volunteers helping hilltribe people in the North so I was born into this -empowering those at the periphery of society to protect the environment and their way of life. I joined Living River Siam or Southeast Asia River Network after graduating, and was basically working on projects involving the Salween and mekong rivers. In fact, they are regarded as sister rivers because they both start in the Himalayas.
"As an NGO worker, I focus on helping communities protect their right to river resources across national borders. In the case of Mekong, it's second only to the Amazon in terms of aquatic diversity, as 70 per cent of fish in the regional river are long-distance migrants. So far, we've heard that villagers' catches are 80 per cent less than before due to the negative effects on river flow.
"Earlier, there were also navigation channel improvement projects along the mekong involving the use of explosives to clear river beds and other rocks to facilitate the use of large cargo vessels. That also affected the water flow and ecology. Fortunately, we helped stop this in the North of Thailand," she says.
While the Chinese will soon have a total of eight large dams on the Mekong, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia are planning to build another 12 hydro-electric dams, including two projects belonging to private investors. One of the schemes is situated at Ban Kum, Ubon Ratchathani province and the other is in Loei province.
In addition, a giant Thai construction firm, Ch Karnchang, is involved in the dam project in Laos where environmental regulations are not as strict as in Thailand.
Pianporn says the Chinese government should review the rest of four dam projects in its territory and come up with remedial measures for those suffering from the negative effects of the giant projects. For example, upstream dams should be operated in a way that follows seasonal water flow so as to minimise the impacts on those downstream.
Given the regional context of Mekong, Pianporn, who currently works for International Rivers, an NGO helping people protect their community's rights to river resources, is also busy empowering Cambodian, Laotian and Chinese counterparts in the fight against multi-million-dollar dam schemes.
