Meteorologist advises smaller alternatives to Myitsone megadam
The former director general of the meteorology and hydrology department has proposed an alternative solution to the problem of the stalled Myitsone hydropower dam. Instead of building one destructive and publically reviled mega dam, why not build four smaller hydropower projects instead, he suggested on Facebook on October 16 at night. U Tun Lwin, who has written several books on the environment and spent 44 years helming the meteorology department, said the expense of the large dam, projected to cost US$3.6 billion, could be divided into three or four small or medium-scale projects spread along the Ayeyarwady River with less of a concentrated impact. The energy produced by four “eco-smart” dams would not be so different than one big dam, he said. “The Myitsone dam is bad. Having these small and medium dams is better,” U Tun Lwin told The Myanmar Times.
