Cambodia dam destroyed livelihoods of tens of thousands: Human Rights Watch
A massive China-financed dam in Cambodia has “washed away the livelihoods” of tens of thousands of villagers while falling short of promised energy production, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday (Aug 10).
The 400-megawatt Lower Sesan 2 dam in the kingdom’s north-east has sparked controversy since long before its December 2018 launch.
Fisheries experts had warned that damming the confluence of the Sesan and Srepok rivers – two major tributaries of the resource-rich Mekong River – would threaten fish stocks crucial to millions living along the Mekong’s flood plains.
Tens of thousands of villagers living upstream and downstream have suffered steep losses to their incomes, HRW said in Tuesday’s report, citing interviews conducted over two years with some 60 people from various communities.
AFP/kg
