Dam project across Mekong River in Laos raises fears

A multibillion-dollar dam project underway has prompted concerns that it could result in Laos losing its UNESCO status

Landlocked Laos doesn’t have the famous beaches of its neighbours to attract tourists, but instead relies on the pristine beauty of its mountains and rivers and historical sites to bring in visitors.

The crown jewel is Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where legend has it that Buddha once rested during his travels. It brings all the elements together, with its mix of historic Laotian and French colonial architecture on a peninsula at the confluence of the Mekong and the Nam Khan rivers. But a multibillion-dollar dam project underway 25 kilometers upstream has prompted concerns that it could result in the city losing its UNESCO status, and broader questions about what the government’s ambitious plans to build multiple dams across the Mekong will do to the river, the lifeblood of Southeast Asia.

“When the Luang Prabang Dam is complete, and it’s already well under construction, the river is going to trickle into a dead body of water,” said Brian Eyler, director of the Washington-based Stimson Center’s Southeast Asia Program and its Energy, Water and Sustainability Program.

“The people going to Luang Prabang as tourists to see the mighty Mekong and see how the Lao people interact with the river, all those interactions are going to be gone.”

Once completed, the project is expected to displace more than 500 families and impact 20 villages.