Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon yesterday warned the Thai National Mekong Committee (TNMC) to look out for any issue that may arise from the construction of the Sanakham hydroelectric dam in Laos.
Gen Prawit chaired a video conference at the Five Provinces Bordering Forest Preservation Foundation yesterday to discuss the impact of the project, which is just 1.5 kilometres from the Thai border in Loei's Chiang Khan district. The dam is the fifth of seven planned on the Mekong River by Laos, which Vientiane hopes will turn the landlocked nation into "the Battery of Southeast Asia".
He ordered officials to study the dam's impact on the river's water quality, ecosystem diversity and fishery industry.
Construction of the dam, which has the capacity to generate about 648 megawatts of electricity, has been delayed partly due to opposition from the Thai government and environmental activists, who are concerned about the impact on the ecosystem and the livelihoods of those living downstream.
Many fear the dam would affect water levels downstream and the ability of the Mekong to sustain fisheries and cargo transport.
According to the Mekong River Commission's secretariat, water levels in Chiang Khan district could fluctuate by as much as 3.5 metres.