In the Media
Two more dams planned near national park in Vietnam
June 28, 2011
Thanhnien News
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is seeking the government’s approval to build two hydropower plants near Cat Tien National Park in the southern province of Dong Nai.
Under the proposal, the Dong Nai 6 and Dong Nai 6A plants will encroach on an area of 137 hectares of the park, and an additional 145 hectares of Nam Cat Tien forest.
The ministry said the construction is “appropriate to the country’s electricity development planning,” although it admitted that the plans will affect forest resources and bio-diversity in the park. However, the ministry claims the construction will have little influence on the Rhinoceros Reserve and the Bau Sau (Crocodile Lake) wetlands.
Conservationists have for long raised concerns about the excessive number of hydropower dams on the Dong Nai River, which threatens to change much of the river’s ecology, the Nam Cat Tien forest, and the livelihood of residents around the basin.
Please click here to read the original news item.
Keywords: Asia, Cat Tien, dam, deforestation, hydro power, national park, Vietnam