Pak Mun dam
Encyclopedia
The Pak Mun Dam is a gravity dam
located 5.5 km west of the confluence of the Mun
and Mekong
rivers in Ubon Ratchathani province
, Thailand
. It was constructed by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
(EGAT) with support from the World Bank
at a total cost of US$240 million, and completed in 1994.
The project has been criticized for adverse effects on the fisheries of the Mun River, insufficient compensation payments to affected villagers, and failure to produce the projected power output. The immediate impact of the dam
was to flood 117 square kilometres of land and displace around 3,000 families. In all around 25,000 villagers claim to have been affected by the dam. Protests have been staged at the dam site and outside Government House in Bangkok
. EGAT has paid out US$44.24 million in relocation compensation, plus US$15.8 million for loss of fisheries.
was incorporated into the scheme to allow fish
into the Mun River to spawn. However, the ladder appears to have been unsuccessful: a report from the World Commission on Dams found that of 265 fish species previously found in the Mun river, at least 50 had disappeared and numbers of others had declined significantly. The fish catch decreased by 60-80%. However, it is uncertain what proportion of this decrease is attributable to the dam, and what proportion to other factor. There have since been reports that some of these species have started to reestablish themselves.
In response to protests, the government opened the dam gates temporarily in June 2001. Subsequently, a study by Ubon Ratchathani University
recommended keeping the gates open for a further five years, and a study by Living River Siam
recommended decommissioning the dam. Instead, the Cabinet decided to close the gates for eight months each year from November 2002.
report also raised doubts about the amount of power which the dam can produce. It argued that the dam could not reliably produce the anticipated amount of electricity, making it economically nonviable. EGAT responded that such consistent electricity production was unnecessary, and that the dam was a useful source of electricity (although it is not clear how it is useful, since Thailand produces 130% of its daily electrical needs).
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
located 5.5 km west of the confluence of the Mun
Mun River
The Mun River , sometimes spelled Moon River, is a tributary of the Mekong river. It carries approximately 21,000 cubic kilometres of water per year.-Geography:...
and Mekong
Mekong
The Mekong is a river that runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annually....
rivers in Ubon Ratchathani province
Ubon Ratchathani Province
-History:The area was part of the Khmer Empire. Before the late eighteenth century, this area evidently was outside Siamese or Thai Ayutthaya Kingdom....
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. It was constructed by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand , , is a state enterprise that owns and manages the majority of Thailand's electricity generation capacity, as well as the nation's transmission network.EGAT is managed by the Ministry of Energy....
(EGAT) with support from the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
at a total cost of US$240 million, and completed in 1994.
The project has been criticized for adverse effects on the fisheries of the Mun River, insufficient compensation payments to affected villagers, and failure to produce the projected power output. The immediate impact of the dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
was to flood 117 square kilometres of land and displace around 3,000 families. In all around 25,000 villagers claim to have been affected by the dam. Protests have been staged at the dam site and outside Government House in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
. EGAT has paid out US$44.24 million in relocation compensation, plus US$15.8 million for loss of fisheries.
Fisheries
In response to concerns about the dam's likely impact on fisheries on the Mun River, a fish ladderFish ladder
A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass or fish steps, is a structure on or around artificial barriers to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration. Most fishways enable fish to pass around the barriers by swimming and leaping up a series of relatively low steps into the waters on...
was incorporated into the scheme to allow fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
into the Mun River to spawn. However, the ladder appears to have been unsuccessful: a report from the World Commission on Dams found that of 265 fish species previously found in the Mun river, at least 50 had disappeared and numbers of others had declined significantly. The fish catch decreased by 60-80%. However, it is uncertain what proportion of this decrease is attributable to the dam, and what proportion to other factor. There have since been reports that some of these species have started to reestablish themselves.
In response to protests, the government opened the dam gates temporarily in June 2001. Subsequently, a study by Ubon Ratchathani University
Ubon Ratchathani University
Ubon Ratchathani University was established as a campus of Khon Kaen University, Thailand, in 1987. It gained independent university status in 1990.-History :...
recommended keeping the gates open for a further five years, and a study by Living River Siam
Living River Siam
Living River Siam is a Thai non-governmental organization which analyzes the impact of Thailand's various dam projects and coordinates the research of indigenous peoples to give Thai villagers the power to document the influence of local rivers and dams...
recommended decommissioning the dam. Instead, the Cabinet decided to close the gates for eight months each year from November 2002.
Electricity generation
The World Commission on DamsWorld Commission on Dams
The World Commission on Dams was formed in April 1997, to research the environmental, social and economic impacts of the development of large dams globally...
report also raised doubts about the amount of power which the dam can produce. It argued that the dam could not reliably produce the anticipated amount of electricity, making it economically nonviable. EGAT responded that such consistent electricity production was unnecessary, and that the dam was a useful source of electricity (although it is not clear how it is useful, since Thailand produces 130% of its daily electrical needs).