Myitsone Dam: Difference between revisions
mNo edit summary |
+ entries |
||
| Line 62: | Line 62: | ||
The '''Myitsone Dam''' is a [[dam]] and [[hydroelectric power]] development project currently under construction on the [[Irawaddy River]] in [[Burma]].<ref name="KEO">{{cite|url=http://www.burmariversnetwork.org/images/stories/publications/english/dammingtheirrawaddy.pdf|last=staff|first=|title=''Damming the Irrawaddy''|date=2008|location=Chiang Mai|publisher= Kachin Environment Organization, [http://aksyu.com/ Kachin Development Networking Group]|Retrieved=9-17-2009}}</ref> |
The '''Myitsone Dam''' is a [[dam]] and [[hydroelectric power]] development project currently under construction on the [[Irawaddy River]] in [[Burma]].<ref name="KEO">{{cite|url=http://www.burmariversnetwork.org/images/stories/publications/english/dammingtheirrawaddy.pdf|last=staff|first=|title=''Damming the Irrawaddy''|date=2008|location=Chiang Mai|publisher= Kachin Environment Organization, [http://aksyu.com/ Kachin Development Networking Group]|Retrieved=9-17-2009}}</ref> |
||
==Location== |
==Location== |
||
The dam site is located on the Irawaddy River {{convert|1.6|km|abbr=on|1}}mile below the the confluence of the [[Mali River]] and the [[N'Mai River]] about {{convert|42|km|abbt=on|1}} north of [[Myitkyina]], the capital of [[Kachin State]], in northern [[Burma]].<ref name="International Rivers">{{cite web|url=http://www.internationalrivers.org/en/southeast-asia/burma/myitsone-dam|title=Irrawaddy Myitsone Dam|work=Burma|publisher=International Rivers|accessdate=4 February 2010}}</ref> |
The dam site is located on the Irawaddy River {{convert|1.6|km|abbr=on|1}} mile below the the confluence of the [[Mali River]] and the [[N'Mai River]] about {{convert|42|km|abbt=on|1}} north of [[Myitkyina]], the capital of [[Kachin State]], in northern [[Burma]].<ref name="International Rivers">{{cite web|url=http://www.internationalrivers.org/en/southeast-asia/burma/myitsone-dam|title=Irrawaddy Myitsone Dam|work=Burma|publisher=International Rivers|accessdate=4 February 2010}}</ref> |
||
The source of both the N'mai and Mali Rivers is in the[[Himalaya#Glaciers_and_river_systems|Himalaya glaciers]] of Northern Myanmar, in the vicinity of 28° N. The eastern most of the two, N'mai, river<ref>[http://www.myanmar-education.edu.mm/moe_main/moert/download/yu-kalayarlu.doc Document about the floradiversity in Northern Kachin, in the N'mai watershed]. Studies on Floradiversity of North-eastern Kachin Myanmar Section of Sino-himalaya (N'mai Hka-Than Lwin Water Division) - Ma Kalayar Lu, Myitkyina University, faculty of Botanics, 28-8-06. retrieved d.d. 6-12-2008.</ref>, is the larger stream and rises in the Languela Glacier north of[[Putao]].<ref>[http://www.burmariversnetwork.org/burmas-rivers/irrawaddy.htmlBurma Rivers Network], paragraph 3. Retrieved d.d. July 14, 2009</ref>. It is unnavigable because of the strong current whereas the smaller western river, the Mali, is navigable, despite a few[[rapids]].<ref>[http://books.google.nl/books?id=koacGt0fhUoC&pg=PA115&lpg=PA115&dq=main+source+irrawaddy+river&source=bl&ots=PsmDBNOLTZ&sig=b52XkvKQEAP9jY8s_KBHtu6ejBE&hl=nl&ei=RY9fStbWHMXD-QaQvMzmAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7 James R Penn (2001) Rivers of the World]. Santa Barbara, Calif. [u.a.] ABC-Clio ISBN 1576070425 9781576070420. Page 115 paragraph 2, retrieved d.d. July 16, 2009/</ref> |
The source of both the N'mai and Mali Rivers is in the [[Himalaya#Glaciers_and_river_systems|Himalaya glaciers]] of Northern Myanmar, in the vicinity of 28° N. The eastern most of the two, N'mai, river<ref>[http://www.myanmar-education.edu.mm/moe_main/moert/download/yu-kalayarlu.doc Document about the floradiversity in Northern Kachin, in the N'mai watershed]. Studies on Floradiversity of North-eastern Kachin Myanmar Section of Sino-himalaya (N'mai Hka-Than Lwin Water Division) - Ma Kalayar Lu, Myitkyina University, faculty of Botanics, 28-8-06. retrieved d.d. 6-12-2008.</ref>, is the larger stream and rises in the Languela Glacier north of[[Putao]].<ref>[http://www.burmariversnetwork.org/burmas-rivers/irrawaddy.htmlBurma Rivers Network], paragraph 3. Retrieved d.d. July 14, 2009</ref>. It is unnavigable because of the strong current whereas the smaller western river, the Mali, is navigable, despite a few[[rapids]].<ref>[http://books.google.nl/books?id=koacGt0fhUoC&pg=PA115&lpg=PA115&dq=main+source+irrawaddy+river&source=bl&ots=PsmDBNOLTZ&sig=b52XkvKQEAP9jY8s_KBHtu6ejBE&hl=nl&ei=RY9fStbWHMXD-QaQvMzmAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7 James R Penn (2001) Rivers of the World]. Santa Barbara, Calif. [u.a.] ABC-Clio ISBN 1576070425 9781576070420. Page 115 paragraph 2, retrieved d.d. July 16, 2009/</ref> |
||
==Management== |
==Management== |
||
| Line 70: | Line 70: | ||
<ref>[http://www.myanmar-information.net/infosheet/2006/070507.htmSupervisoryOffice of Confluence Region Hydropower Porject Opened] on the[http://www.myanmar-information.net/ Myanmar Information Website] May 7, 2007. Paragraph 4. Retrieved d.d. September 17, 2009</ref>. The seven dams combined total design installed capacity is 13,360 [[Megawatt#Megawatt|MW]]of electricity.<ref name="Naing"/> |
<ref>[http://www.myanmar-information.net/infosheet/2006/070507.htmSupervisoryOffice of Confluence Region Hydropower Porject Opened] on the[http://www.myanmar-information.net/ Myanmar Information Website] May 7, 2007. Paragraph 4. Retrieved d.d. September 17, 2009</ref>. The seven dams combined total design installed capacity is 13,360 [[Megawatt#Megawatt|MW]]of electricity.<ref name="Naing"/> |
||
The dam will provide electricity primarily to the [[China Southern Power Grid]] via its subsidiary, the Yunnan Power Grid Company, in [[Yunnan|Yunnan Province]] and then on to the power hungry eastern coastal areas of[[China]], in conformity with the Chinese central Government's 'West to East Transmission Policy'.<ref>Staff, KEO, Execuative Summary</ref><ref name="Min"/> |
The dam will provide electricity primarily to the [[China Southern Power Grid]] via its subsidiary, the Yunnan Power Grid Company, in [[Yunnan|Yunnan Province]] and then on to the power hungry eastern coastal areas of [[China]], in conformity with the Chinese central Government's 'West to East Transmission Policy'.<ref>Staff, KEO, Execuative Summary</ref><ref name="Min"/> |
||
| ⚫ | The hydropower project is being implemented under an agreement signed in late 2006 with the state-owned [[China Power Investment Corporation]] (CPI) and Burma’s Ministry of Electric Power No 1. The dam and reservoir planning and construction is managed by the [[Burma#Government_and_politics|Burmese military junta]] in cooperation with the [[China Southern Power Grid]] and several subcontractors.<ref name="Naing">{{cite web|url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=10064|title=Irrawaddy Dam Construction Begins, Human Rights Abuses Begin |last=Naing|first= Saw Yan |date=1-29-2008|work=The Irrawaddy / News|publisher= Irrawaddy Publishing Group|accessdate=3 February 2010}}</ref> |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | [http://pseudonymity.wordpress.com/2008/02/26/us-treasury-slaps-sanctions-on-asia-world-co-ltd-10-singapore-based-companies/ Tun Myint Naing] (Steven Law), one of the[[International_sanctions#Economic_sanctions|sanctioned]] financial operatives with strong links to the Burmese regime. <ref name="Min">{{cite web|url=http://www.minnpost.com/globalpost/2010/02/01/15488/proposed_dam_to_flood_burma_while_powering_china|title=Proposed dam to flood Burma, while powering China By |last=Libre|first=Ryan|date=2-1-2010|work=Minn Post|publisher=MinnPost.com|accessdate=2 February 2010|location=Myitkyina, Burma}}</ref>. |
||
| ⚫ | Additional Chinese participation comes from[http://www.ymec.com.cn/en/about.htm Yunnan Machinery Equipment Import & Export Company] and [http://www.ymec.com.cn/en/index.htm Changjiang Institute of Surveying, Planning, Design and Research]. At least one Japanese company is involved, [[Kansai Electric Power Company]].<ref>Staff, KEO, pp 17-21</ref> |
||
==Design== |
==Design== |
||
The dam is planned to be a [[Dam#Rock-fill_dams|concrete faced rock-fill dam]] {{convert|152|m|abbr=on|1}} in both height and width, and is projected to produce between 3,600 to 6,000 megawatts of electricity by 2017.<ref name="Min"/> |
The dam is planned to be a [[Dam#Rock-fill_dams|concrete faced rock-fill dam]] {{convert|152|m|abbr=on|1}} in both height and width, and is projected to produce between 3,600 to 6,000 megawatts of electricity by 2017.<ref name="Min"/> |
||
In addition, |
In addition, water from the Myitsone Dam reservoir is planned to irrigate a mega-plantation inside the protected [[Hukawng Valley]] in Burma, now home to the {{convert|21800|sqmi|km2|-2}} [[Hukawng Valley Tiger Reserve|Hukawng Valley Wildlife Sanctuary]], the world's largest [[Bengal tiger|tiger]] reserve and the largest [[protected area]] in mainland Southeast Asia. This giant plantation will increase the displacement of indigenous people and wildlife and destruction of the unique natural environment.<ref name="Min"/> |
||
==Construction== |
==Construction== |
||
In 2002, the ''Irawaddy Myitsone Dam Multipurpose Water Utilization Project'' was written by the Myanmar Electrical Power Enterprise and the Agriculture and Irrigation Ministry. The Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO) built a small [[weather station]] at Tang Hpre village, near the confluence. A KEPCO survey team came to the site twice in 2003. |
|||
| ⚫ | The hydropower project is being implemented under an agreement signed in late 2006 with the state-owned [[China Power Investment Corporation]] (CPI) and Burma’s Ministry of Electric Power No 1. The dam and reservoir planning and construction is managed by the [[Burma#Government_and_politics|Burmese military junta]] in cooperation with the [[China Southern Power Grid]] and several subcontractors.<ref name="Naing">{{cite web|url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=10064|title=Irrawaddy Dam Construction Begins, Human Rights Abuses Begin |last=Naing|first= Saw Yan |date=1-29-2008|work=The Irrawaddy / News|publisher= Irrawaddy Publishing Group|accessdate=3 February 2010}}</ref> |
||
In February 2004 Yunnan Machinery Equipment Import & Export Company] (YMEC) and Kunming Hydropower Institute of Design, both from China, surveyed the dam site. |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | [http://pseudonymity.wordpress.com/2008/02/26/us-treasury-slaps-sanctions-on-asia-world-co-ltd-10-singapore-based-companies/ Tun Myint Naing] (Steven Law), one of the[[International_sanctions#Economic_sanctions|sanctioned]] financial operatives with strong links to the Burmese regime. <ref name="Min">{{cite web|url=http://www.minnpost.com/globalpost/2010/02/01/15488/proposed_dam_to_flood_burma_while_powering_china|title=Proposed dam to flood Burma, while powering China By |last=Libre|first=Ryan|date=2-1-2010|work=Minn Post|publisher=MinnPost.com|accessdate=2 February 2010|location=Myitkyina, Burma}}</ref>. |
||
In November 2005 the YMEC and Myanmar Ministry of Electricity signed a [[memorandum of understanding]] in Kunming for the N'Mai River Basin Development Cooperation. |
|||
| ⚫ | Additional Chinese participation comes from[http://www.ymec.com.cn/en/about.htm Yunnan Machinery Equipment Import & Export Company] and [http://www.ymec.com.cn/en/index.htm Changjiang Institute of Surveying, Planning, Design and Research]. At least one Japanese company is involved, [[Kansai Electric Power Company]].<ref>Staff, KEO, pp 17-21</ref> |
||
In August 2006, Suntac Technologies Co. Ltd., a Burmese [[Geographic Information System]] (GIS) mapping contractor set up an office at the monastery in Tang Hpre village and surveyed the dam site. They also set up a temporary camp at Washawng village to facilitate transport of survey equipment from the YMEC company in China. |
|||
In October 2006, the Asia World Company built a project implementation camp on a hill top at the dam site {{convert|3|mi|abbr=on}} downstream from the confluence. Once complete, Chinese inspectors stayed and surveyed the area for five months. |
|||
In December 2006, The Ministry of Electric Power No. 1 and China Power Investment Corperation signed a memorandum of Understanding for the 3,6000MW project at Myitsone and the 2,000 MW project at Chibwe. Asia World Company was also present at this ceremony. |
|||
In January 2007, the Changjiang Design Institute of China sent several groups of design personnel and conducted geological drilling, reservoir inspection and hydrological measuring near the dam site. |
|||
In April 2007, the groundbreaking ceremony was held for a small 65 KW power plant on Chibwe Creek that will supply power for construction of Myitsone and Chibwe dams. |
|||
In May 2007, the ''New Light of Myanmar'' reported that the Ministry of Power No. 1 and CPI will build seven hydropower dams on the N'Mai and Irawaddy rivers. The Chibwe plant will supply power for construction of all seven dams. |
|||
On May 1, an opening ceremony was held for the project supervisory office in Myitkyina. |
|||
In late 2007, |
In late 2007, [[Myanmar_Army#Strength_and_organization|Burmese Army Light Infantry Battalion]] #121 moved into the Myitsone area as security for the hydroelectric dam site. Rather than staying in their camp near the dam site, they took over the library in Tang Hpre village {{convert|5|km|abbr=on}} from the dam site and stayed there. They extorted money from local merchants and took materials from shops. They also took vegetables from the villagers' farms and walked away with pigs and chickens.<ref name="Naing"/><ref name="brn">{{cite web|url=http://www.burmariversnetwork.org/dam-projects/irrawaddynmaimali.html#5|title=Irrawaddy/N'Mai/Mali Dams|last=BRN|date=2010|publisher=Burma Rivers Network.|accessdate=4 February 2010}}</ref> |
||
In January 2008, about 20 Chinese and a few Burmese engineers were working on the site, plus about 300 construction workers from the Asia World Company.<ref name="Naing"/> |
In January 2008, about 20 Chinese and a few Burmese engineers were working on the site, plus about 300 construction workers from the Asia World Company.<ref name="Naing"/> |
||
| Line 95: | Line 114: | ||
==Impact== |
==Impact== |
||
If this large dam is built, it will flood {{convert|766|km2|abbr=on|1}}including 47 villages near the construction site and displace more than 10,000 ethnic [[Jingpo|Kachin people]] living in those villages. The large military security presence, [[Population transfer| |
If this large dam is built, it will flood {{convert|766|km2|abbr=on|1}}including 47 villages near the construction site and displace more than 10,000 ethnic [[Jingpo|Kachin people]] living in those villages. The large [[Military occupation|military security]] presence, [[Population transfer| |
||
forced relocations]], [[deforestation]] and [[flood]]s will follow hand-in-hand with its construction. The dam will also submerge historical temples, churches and cultural heritage sites important to Kachin identity and history. The natural heritage of the Kachin people in Myitsone area will be |
forced relocations]], [[deforestation]] and [[flood]]s will follow hand-in-hand with its construction. The dam will also submerge historical temples, churches and cultural heritage sites important to Kachin identity and history. The natural heritage of the Kachin people in Myitsone area will be devastated.<ref name="Naing"/> |
||
Roads linking major towns in this remote area will be flooded by the planned reservoir having a negative impact on the transportation, communication and trade of the Kachin people in far greater numbers than those 10,000 physically displaced.<ref>Staff, KEO, p 23</ref> |
Roads linking major towns in this remote area will be flooded by the planned reservoir having a negative impact on the transportation, communication and trade of the Kachin people in far greater numbers than those 10,000 physically displaced.<ref>Staff, KEO, p 23</ref> |
||
Other consequences of flooding by the reservoir include loss of farmland and loss of spawning habitat as fishes can not swim upstream anymore. The[http://aksyu.com/ Kachin Development Networking Group], a network of civil society groups and development organisations in [[Kachin State]] warn this will lead to a loss of income for fishermen. As with other large dam projects, the Myitsone Dam construction will alter the |
Other consequences of flooding by the reservoir include loss of farmland and loss of spawning habitat as fishes can not swim upstream anymore. The [http://aksyu.com/ Kachin Development Networking Group], a network of civil society groups and development organisations in [[Kachin State]] warn this will lead to a loss of income for fishermen. As with other large dam projects, the Myitsone Dam construction will alter the |
||
[[hydrology|hydrological]] characteristics of the river and prevent[[sediment]] from enriching the traditionally highly productive agricultural floodplains downstream.<ref>William L. Graf (1999) [http://www.fiu.edu/~envstud/courses/evr5320/Graf_1999.pdf'' Dam nation: A geographic census of American dams |
[[hydrology|hydrological]] characteristics of the river and prevent[[sediment]] from enriching the traditionally highly productive agricultural floodplains downstream.<ref>William L. Graf (1999) [http://www.fiu.edu/~envstud/courses/evr5320/Graf_1999.pdf'' Dam nation: A geographic census of American dams |
||
and their large-scale hydrologic impacts |
and their large-scale hydrologic impacts |
||
| Line 109: | Line 128: | ||
Direct medical impacts anticipated from the project include increased incidence of [[malaria]] and [[shistosomiasis]] infection and[[methylmercury]] poisoning from submerged gold mining sites.<ref>Staff, KEO, p 42</ref> |
Direct medical impacts anticipated from the project include increased incidence of [[malaria]] and [[shistosomiasis]] infection and[[methylmercury]] poisoning from submerged gold mining sites.<ref>Staff, KEO, p 42</ref> |
||
==Environmental opposition== |
==Environmental opposition== |
||
In February of 2004 the Tanf Hpre villagers sent a letter of concern to leading Kachin organizations. |
|||
In addition to environmental impacts, community displacement, and threats to cultural sites; local communities oppose a dam at Myikyina because it is less than {{convert|100|km|abbr=on|1}} from the major [[Mandalay#Location|Sagaing fault line]], posing a risk to basin inhabitants if an [[earthquake]] weakens the dam structure or causes landslides in the reservoir. If the Irrawaddy Myitsone Dam broke during an earthquake, it would endanger the lives of hundred of thousands of people downstream in Kachin State’s largest city, Myikyina. Recent earthquakes in the region, such as the 5.3 [[Richter Scale|magnitude]] earthquake that struck near the Burma-China border on August 20, 2008, |
In addition to environmental impacts, community displacement, and threats to cultural sites; local communities oppose a dam at Myikyina because it is less than {{convert|100|km|abbr=on|1}} from the major [[Mandalay#Location|Sagaing fault line]], posing a risk to basin inhabitants if an [[earthquake]] weakens the dam structure or causes landslides in the reservoir. If the Irrawaddy Myitsone Dam broke during an earthquake, it would endanger the lives of hundred of thousands of people downstream in Kachin State’s largest city, Myikyina. Recent earthquakes in the region, such as the 5.3 [[Richter Scale|magnitude]] earthquake that struck near the Burma-China border on August 20, 2008, |
||
<ref>[http://news.smh.com.au/world/earthquake-hits-chinaburma-border-20080820-3yms.html Earth Quake Hits China-Burma Border], article in the [[Sydney Morning Herald]] on August 20, 2008. Retrieved online d.d. September 24, 2009</ref> prompted Naw Lar, the coordinator of the [http://aksyu.com/ Kachin Development Networking Group] (KDNG) dam research project, to ask the junta to reconsider its dam projects.<ref>[http://www.salweenwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=173:earthquake-raises-concern-over-mega-dams&catid=34:news&Itemid=56 ''Earthquake Raises Concern over Mega Dams''published on [http://www.salweenwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1 Salween Watch.org], August 20, 2009. Retrieved d.d. September 24, 2009.</ref> |
<ref>[http://news.smh.com.au/world/earthquake-hits-chinaburma-border-20080820-3yms.html Earth Quake Hits China-Burma Border], article in the [[Sydney Morning Herald]] on August 20, 2008. Retrieved online d.d. September 24, 2009</ref> prompted Naw Lar, the coordinator of the [http://aksyu.com/ Kachin Development Networking Group] (KDNG) dam research project, to ask the junta to reconsider its dam projects.<ref>[http://www.salweenwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=173:earthquake-raises-concern-over-mega-dams&catid=34:news&Itemid=56 ''Earthquake Raises Concern over Mega Dams''published on [http://www.salweenwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1 Salween Watch.org], August 20, 2009. Retrieved d.d. September 24, 2009.</ref> |
||
In May 2007, local leaders from Kachin State sent a letter to Senior[[General Than Shwe]] and the junta’s Ministry of Electric Power asking for the project to be cancelled. In December 2007, the[http://www.burmariversnetwork.org/about-us.html Burma Rivers Network] also sent a letter to the Chinese government asking Chinese companies operating in Burma to conduct environmental and social impact assessments, publicly release information, and include affected communities in the decision-making process. Neither letter received a response.<ref name="Naing"/> |
In May 2007, 12 local leaders from Kachin State sent a letter to Senior[[General Than Shwe]] and the junta’s Ministry of Electric Power asking for the project to be cancelled. |
||
In December 2007, the[http://www.burmariversnetwork.org/about-us.html Burma Rivers Network] also sent a letter to the Chinese government asking Chinese companies operating in Burma to conduct environmental and social impact assessments, publicly release information, and include affected communities in the decision-making process. Neither letter received a response.<ref name="Naing"/> |
|||
The UK-based [http://www.kachinland.org Kachin National Organization] (KNO) is planning to protest the dam construction in front of the Burmese Embassies in the UK, Japan, Australia and USA on 5th February 2010. That date is the 49th Kachin Revolution Day, commemorating the establishment of the [[Kachin Independence Army]] (KIA), the military arm of the [[Kachin Independence Organisation]].<ref name="bni"/> |
The UK-based [http://www.kachinland.org Kachin National Organization] (KNO) is planning to protest the dam construction in front of the Burmese Embassies in the UK, Japan, Australia and USA on 5th February 2010. That date is the 49th Kachin Revolution Day, commemorating the establishment of the [[Kachin Independence Army]] (KIA), the military arm of the [[Kachin Independence Organisation]].<ref name="bni"/> |
||
Revision as of 17:33, 4 February 2010
Template:Infobox Dam The Myitsone Dam is a dam and hydroelectric power development project currently under construction on the Irawaddy River in Burma.[1]
Location
The dam site is located on the Irawaddy River 1.6 km (1.0 mi) mile below the the confluence of the Mali River and the N'Mai River about 42 kilometres (26.1 mi)* north of Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, in northern Burma.[2]
The source of both the N'mai and Mali Rivers is in the Himalaya glaciers of Northern Myanmar, in the vicinity of 28° N. The eastern most of the two, N'mai, river[3], is the larger stream and rises in the Languela Glacier north ofPutao.[4]. It is unnavigable because of the strong current whereas the smaller western river, the Mali, is navigable, despite a fewrapids.[5]
Management
The Irrawaddy Myitsone Dam is the biggest of seven large Chinese dams currently planned on the Mali River, the N'Mai River and the Irawaddy rivers. The China Power Investment Corporation is project manager of the Confluence Region Hydropower Projects. [6]. The seven dams combined total design installed capacity is 13,360 MWof electricity.[7]
The dam will provide electricity primarily to the China Southern Power Grid via its subsidiary, the Yunnan Power Grid Company, in Yunnan Province and then on to the power hungry eastern coastal areas of China, in conformity with the Chinese central Government's 'West to East Transmission Policy'.[8][9] The hydropower project is being implemented under an agreement signed in late 2006 with the state-owned China Power Investment Corporation (CPI) and Burma’s Ministry of Electric Power No 1. The dam and reservoir planning and construction is managed by the Burmese military junta in cooperation with the China Southern Power Grid and several subcontractors.[7]
The prime Burmese contractor is Asia World Company, founded by the drug lord Lo Hsing Han and now run by his son Tun Myint Naing (Steven Law), one of thesanctioned financial operatives with strong links to the Burmese regime. [9].
Additional Chinese participation comes fromYunnan Machinery Equipment Import & Export Company and Changjiang Institute of Surveying, Planning, Design and Research. At least one Japanese company is involved, Kansai Electric Power Company.[10]
Design
The dam is planned to be a concrete faced rock-fill dam 152 m (498.7 ft) in both height and width, and is projected to produce between 3,600 to 6,000 megawatts of electricity by 2017.[9]
In addition, water from the Myitsone Dam reservoir is planned to irrigate a mega-plantation inside the protected Hukawng Valley in Burma, now home to the 21,800 square miles (56,500 km2) Hukawng Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, the world's largest tiger reserve and the largest protected area in mainland Southeast Asia. This giant plantation will increase the displacement of indigenous people and wildlife and destruction of the unique natural environment.[9]
Construction
In 2002, the Irawaddy Myitsone Dam Multipurpose Water Utilization Project was written by the Myanmar Electrical Power Enterprise and the Agriculture and Irrigation Ministry. The Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO) built a small weather station at Tang Hpre village, near the confluence. A KEPCO survey team came to the site twice in 2003.
In February 2004 Yunnan Machinery Equipment Import & Export Company] (YMEC) and Kunming Hydropower Institute of Design, both from China, surveyed the dam site.
In November 2005 the YMEC and Myanmar Ministry of Electricity signed a memorandum of understanding in Kunming for the N'Mai River Basin Development Cooperation.
In August 2006, Suntac Technologies Co. Ltd., a Burmese Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping contractor set up an office at the monastery in Tang Hpre village and surveyed the dam site. They also set up a temporary camp at Washawng village to facilitate transport of survey equipment from the YMEC company in China.
In October 2006, the Asia World Company built a project implementation camp on a hill top at the dam site 3 mi (4.8 km) downstream from the confluence. Once complete, Chinese inspectors stayed and surveyed the area for five months.
In December 2006, The Ministry of Electric Power No. 1 and China Power Investment Corperation signed a memorandum of Understanding for the 3,6000MW project at Myitsone and the 2,000 MW project at Chibwe. Asia World Company was also present at this ceremony.
In January 2007, the Changjiang Design Institute of China sent several groups of design personnel and conducted geological drilling, reservoir inspection and hydrological measuring near the dam site.
In April 2007, the groundbreaking ceremony was held for a small 65 KW power plant on Chibwe Creek that will supply power for construction of Myitsone and Chibwe dams.
In May 2007, the New Light of Myanmar reported that the Ministry of Power No. 1 and CPI will build seven hydropower dams on the N'Mai and Irawaddy rivers. The Chibwe plant will supply power for construction of all seven dams.
On May 1, an opening ceremony was held for the project supervisory office in Myitkyina.
In late 2007, Burmese Army Light Infantry Battalion #121 moved into the Myitsone area as security for the hydroelectric dam site. Rather than staying in their camp near the dam site, they took over the library in Tang Hpre village 5 km (3.1 mi) from the dam site and stayed there. They extorted money from local merchants and took materials from shops. They also took vegetables from the villagers' farms and walked away with pigs and chickens.[7][11]
In January 2008, about 20 Chinese and a few Burmese engineers were working on the site, plus about 300 construction workers from the Asia World Company.[7]
In October 2009, about 2,000 Chinese labourers with the Asia World Company were working on logging, gold mining and digging tunnels at the dam project site. They were secretly transported to the site in groups at night through the Chinese border in Kachin State.[12]
In November 2009, one hundred elephants were requisitioned by Asia World Company to pull logs from the forests near the hydropower project site to the log camps.[13]
On December 21, 2009, the official opening ceremony for the dam construction phase was held by officials of the military, China Power Investment Corporation and Asia World Company.[14]
Impact
If this large dam is built, it will flood 766 km2 (295.8 sq mi)including 47 villages near the construction site and displace more than 10,000 ethnic Kachin people living in those villages. The large military security presence, forced relocations, deforestation and floods will follow hand-in-hand with its construction. The dam will also submerge historical temples, churches and cultural heritage sites important to Kachin identity and history. The natural heritage of the Kachin people in Myitsone area will be devastated.[7]
Roads linking major towns in this remote area will be flooded by the planned reservoir having a negative impact on the transportation, communication and trade of the Kachin people in far greater numbers than those 10,000 physically displaced.[15]
Other consequences of flooding by the reservoir include loss of farmland and loss of spawning habitat as fishes can not swim upstream anymore. The Kachin Development Networking Group, a network of civil society groups and development organisations in Kachin State warn this will lead to a loss of income for fishermen. As with other large dam projects, the Myitsone Dam construction will alter the hydrological characteristics of the river and preventsediment from enriching the traditionally highly productive agricultural floodplains downstream.[16] This can affect fertility as far downstream as the Irrawaddy Delta, the major rice-producing area of Myanmar.
Ecological concerns focus on the inundation of an area that is the border of the Indo-Burma and South Central China biodiversityhotspot. The Mali and N'mai River confluence region falls within the Mizoram-Manipur-Kachin rainforests, including the1,472 square miles (3,810 km2) Khakaborazi National Park which is on the WWF list of outstanding examples of biodiverse regions.[17]
Direct medical impacts anticipated from the project include increased incidence of malaria and shistosomiasis infection andmethylmercury poisoning from submerged gold mining sites.[18]
Environmental opposition
In February of 2004 the Tanf Hpre villagers sent a letter of concern to leading Kachin organizations.
In addition to environmental impacts, community displacement, and threats to cultural sites; local communities oppose a dam at Myikyina because it is less than 100 km (62.1 mi) from the major Sagaing fault line, posing a risk to basin inhabitants if an earthquake weakens the dam structure or causes landslides in the reservoir. If the Irrawaddy Myitsone Dam broke during an earthquake, it would endanger the lives of hundred of thousands of people downstream in Kachin State’s largest city, Myikyina. Recent earthquakes in the region, such as the 5.3 magnitude earthquake that struck near the Burma-China border on August 20, 2008,
[19] prompted Naw Lar, the coordinator of the Kachin Development Networking Group (KDNG) dam research project, to ask the junta to reconsider its dam projects.[20]
In May 2007, 12 local leaders from Kachin State sent a letter to SeniorGeneral Than Shwe and the junta’s Ministry of Electric Power asking for the project to be cancelled.
In December 2007, theBurma Rivers Network also sent a letter to the Chinese government asking Chinese companies operating in Burma to conduct environmental and social impact assessments, publicly release information, and include affected communities in the decision-making process. Neither letter received a response.[7]
The UK-based Kachin National Organization (KNO) is planning to protest the dam construction in front of the Burmese Embassies in the UK, Japan, Australia and USA on 5th February 2010. That date is the 49th Kachin Revolution Day, commemorating the establishment of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the military arm of the Kachin Independence Organisation.[14]
Notes
- ^ staff (2008), Damming the Irrawaddy (PDF), Chiang Mai: Kachin Environment Organization, Kachin Development Networking Group
{{citation}}: External link in|publisher=|Retrieved=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Irrawaddy Myitsone Dam". Burma. International Rivers. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
- ^ Document about the floradiversity in Northern Kachin, in the N'mai watershed. Studies on Floradiversity of North-eastern Kachin Myanmar Section of Sino-himalaya (N'mai Hka-Than Lwin Water Division) - Ma Kalayar Lu, Myitkyina University, faculty of Botanics, 28-8-06. retrieved d.d. 6-12-2008.
- ^ Rivers Network, paragraph 3. Retrieved d.d. July 14, 2009
- ^ James R Penn (2001) Rivers of the World. Santa Barbara, Calif. [u.a.] ABC-Clio ISBN 1576070425 9781576070420. Page 115 paragraph 2, retrieved d.d. July 16, 2009/
- ^ of Confluence Region Hydropower Porject Opened on theMyanmar Information Website May 7, 2007. Paragraph 4. Retrieved d.d. September 17, 2009
- ^ a b c d e f Naing, Saw Yan (1-29-2008). "Irrawaddy Dam Construction Begins, Human Rights Abuses Begin". The Irrawaddy / News. Irrawaddy Publishing Group. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Staff, KEO, Execuative Summary
- ^ a b c d Libre, Ryan (2-1-2010). "Proposed dam to flood Burma, while powering China By". Minn Post. Myitkyina, Burma: MinnPost.com. Retrieved 2 February 2010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Staff, KEO, pp 17-21
- ^ BRN (2010). "Irrawaddy/N'Mai/Mali Dams". Burma Rivers Network. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
- ^ "Burma: Gold mining precedes Irrawaddy dam destruction". MAC: Mines and Communities. Kachin News Group. 1-26-2010 (Source Date: 12-18-2009 ). Retrieved 3 February 2010.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ KNG (11-20-2009). "Hundred Elephants To Pull Logs For The Irrawaddy Dam Contractor". Democracy for Burma. Word press.com. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b Kachin News Group (1-27-2010). "Exiled Kachins urge China to stop Irrawaddy Myitsone dam project". Burma News International. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Staff, KEO, p 23
- ^ William L. Graf (1999) [http://www.fiu.edu/~envstud/courses/evr5320/Graf_1999.pdf Dam nation: A geographic census of American dams and their large-scale hydrologic impacts ] page 5, published WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH, VOL. 35, NO. 4, PAGES 1305-1311, APRIL 1999
- ^ Mizoram-Manipur-Kachin rain forests (IM0131)[http://www.worldwildlife.org/ World Wildlife Foundation] page onTropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests in the Indo-Malay Region.. Retrieved d.d. September 22, 2009
- ^ Staff, KEO, p 42
- ^ Earth Quake Hits China-Burma Border, article in the Sydney Morning Herald on August 20, 2008. Retrieved online d.d. September 24, 2009
- ^ Earthquake Raises Concern over Mega Damspublished on [http://www.salweenwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1 Salween Watch.org, August 20, 2009. Retrieved d.d. September 24, 2009.
References
- Staff, KEO,Damming the Irrawaddy (2008) Chiang Mai, Kachin Environment Organization, Kachin Development Networking Group.
- Naing, Saw Yan, Irrawaddy Dam Construction Begins, Human Rights Abuses Begin (1-29-2008) The Irrawaddy / News, Irrawaddy Publishing Group
- Libre, Ryan,Proposed dam to flood Burma, while powering China (2-1-2010) Minn Post, MinnPost.com, Myitkyina, Burma
- Kachin News Group,Exiled Kachins urge China to stop Irrawaddy Myitsone dam project(1-27-2010) Burma News International
- BRN,Irrawaddy/N'Mai/Mali Dams (2010) Burma Rivers Network.