Assessing cumulative impacts of the proposed Lower Mekong Basin hydropower cascade on the Mekong River floodplains and Delta – Overview of integrated modeling methods and results

Trung, Le Duc; Đức, Nguyễn Anh; Nguyen, L.; Thai, Tran Hong; Khan, Aisha Saleem; Rautenstrauch, Kurt R.; Schmidt, Cheryl

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2018.01.029

Cited by 35 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Information on the location, power capacity, reservoir capacity, and relocated residents of the 11 proposed dams in the LMB [21]. In 2008, the total active storage capacity of reservoirs in the Mekong River basin was 8.6 km 3 , or 2% of its annual discharge [33,34]. The basin can activate the reservoir storage to 86.8 km 3 by 2025, approximately 20% of its annual discharge [24,34].…”

Section: The Proposed Eleven Hydropower Dams In the Mekong River Mainmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impacts of Mainstream Hydropower Dams on Fisheries and Agriculture in Lower Mekong Basin

et al. 2020

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The riverine ecosystems of the Mekong River Basin possess the world’s most productive inland fishery and provide highly productive food crops for millions of people annually. The development of hydropower potential in the Mekong River has long been of interest to governments in the region. Among the existing 64 dams, 46 dams have been built in the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) to produce up to 8650 MW of electricity. Additionally, of the 123 proposed built hydropower dams, eleven hydropower plants have been nominated for the river mainstream and are expected to install a total of 13,000 MW in the LMB countries. However, serious concerns have intensified over the potential negative economic consequences, especially on fisheries and agriculture in Cambodia and Vietnam. To date, most of the concerns have concentrated on the impacts on hydrology, environment, livelihood, and diversity in the LMB attributed to hydropower development. This paper, however, discusses the fishery and agricultural sectors of the LMB and focuses on the downstream floodplains of Cambodia and Vietnam. The dam construction has caused greater losses of biodiversity and fisheries than climate change in the LMB. The reduction of 276,847 and 178,169 t of fish, 3.7% and 2.3% of rice, 21.0% and 10.0% of maize will contribute to a decrease of 3.7% and 0.3% of the GDP of Cambodia and Vietnam, respectively. Lao PDR may benefit the most revenue from electricity generation than the other country in the LMB, as most of the proposed dams are projected in the country. Cambodia burdens 3/4 of the reduction of total capture fishery destruction, whilst Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam endure the remaining 1/3 losses. The tradeoff analyses reveal that losses of capture fisheries, sediment or nutrients, and social mitigation costs are greater than the benefits from electricity generation, improved irrigation, and flood control of the LMB region. The socioeconomic and environmental damage caused by hydropower dams in developing countries, including the Mekong, is greater than the early costs in North America and Europe. It is proposed that dam construction for hydropower in the Mekong River, as well as other rivers in developing countries, should be gradually removed and shifted toward solar, wind, and other renewable resources.

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Section: The Proposed Eleven Hydropower Dams In the Mekong River Mainmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The sediment loss will also affect the maintenance of the habitat integrity for fisheries in the downstream deltas in Cambodia and Vietnam [33]. This shoreline change will cause significant erosion and damage the coastal mangroves.…”

Section: Impacts Of Sediment Loss On Fish Capture Yieldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Mainstream Hydropower Dams on Fisheries and Agriculture in Lower Mekong Basin

et al. 2020

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“…Besides that, they also coupled SWAT with other hydrodynamic models to extend the usefulness and effectiveness of the modelling framework. For example, SWAT has been linked with MIKE11, MIKE HYDROBasin and MIKE 21 models for a comprehensive integrated water resources modelling framework to understand the water resources of the Lower Mekong basin [76]. However, capabilities of the SWAT model are still unknown in many regions in SEA.…”

Section: Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of SWAT Studies in Southeast Asia: Applications, Challenges and Future Directions

Tan

Gassman

Srinivasan

et al. 2019

Water

106

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The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model is recognized as one of the top hydrological models applied for addressing hydrologic and environmental issues. This is the first review on the SWAT model studies in Southeast Asia, with an emphasis on its applications, current challenges and future research directions. A total of 126 articles were identified since 2006; roughly 50% of these studies were conducted in Vietnam or Thailand. About 16% of the studies were performed at a transnational scale, which included Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam. Model capability assessment, land use, and climate change assessment are the main SWAT applications that have been reported for the region. Most of the SWAT calibration and validation results for these studies were classified as satisfactory to very good results based on widely recognized performance indicators. However, the parameterization, calibration and validation procedures are not well reported in some articles. Availability of reliable data is one of the main problems that SWAT users are confronted with, as these data are either not freely available or restricted from public access in some countries. Hence, future studies should be considered on identification and development of reliable input data for SWAT modeling. SWAT model modification based on the SEA climate, geographical and land use conditions is another research direction to be considered in the future. Moreover, application of SWAT for extreme events simulation requires more attention in this region.

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“…Assertions of the sustainability of contemporary dam projects provide a common storyline of legitimacy, with hydropower presented as providing clean, affordable energy that represents an alternative to fossil fuels [9,10,12,13]. However, this greening of hydropower is disputed, with recent studies highlighting the environmental impacts of the energy infrastructure-related to biodiversity loss [14,15], greenhouse gas emissions [16,17], and disrupted sediment flows [18]. In advancing these respective discourses, pro-dam actors locate a scheme within a wider social, political, or economic context-be it centered around economic growth, nationalism, or the consolidation of a certain political order.…”

Section: The Importance Of Pro-and Anti-dam Storylinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disputing the ‘National Interest’: The Depoliticization and Repoliticization of the Belo Monte Dam, Brazil

Atkins

2019

Water

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The construction of a hydroelectric project transforms the watershed in which it is located, leading to a moment of contestation in which the scheme is challenged by opposition actors. This paper explores the interplay between pro- and anti-dam coalitions contesting the Belo Monte Dam in Brazil by discussing how each group inscribes the project with a particular resonance in policy. Drawing upon the work of Chantal Mouffe on agonism and Tania Murray Li on ‘rendering technical’, the subsequent discussion analyzes semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and primary documents to explore how the storylines advanced by pro- and anti-dam actors contest the political character of Belo Monte. It is argued that within these storylines, Belo Monte’s positioning within the ‘national interest’ represents a key site of the project’s depoliticization and repoliticization—which are understood as the respective denial and illumination of the project’s location within a wider terrain of political antagonism and conflict. Whilst pro-dam actors assert the apolitical character of the project by foregrounding it within depoliticized questions of economic benefits, anti-dam actors reground the project within a context of political corruption and the circumvention of dissent. With this paper providing evidence of how contests over dam construction are linked to the concealing and/or illumination of the project’s political content, it is argued that the repoliticization of a project by a resistance movement can have consequences far beyond the immediate site of construction.

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Assessing cumulative impacts of the proposed Lower Mekong Basin hydropower cascade on the Mekong River floodplains and Delta – Overview of integrated modeling methods and results

Cited by 35 publications

References 6 publications

Impacts of Mainstream Hydropower Dams on Fisheries and Agriculture in Lower Mekong Basin

Impacts of Mainstream Hydropower Dams on Fisheries and Agriculture in Lower Mekong Basin

A Review of SWAT Studies in Southeast Asia: Applications, Challenges and Future Directions

Disputing the ‘National Interest’: The Depoliticization and Repoliticization of the Belo Monte Dam, Brazil

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