Two Large Mekong River Dams in Laos to Start Operations by End of Year

The first two of five planned large-scale Lao dams on the Mekong river are set to go online before the end of this year, amid controversy over their impact on the environment and people’s livelihoods.

The Xayaburi dam in northern Laos will start operations on October 29, while the Don Sahong dam in southern Laos’ Champassak province will enter its final testing phase by early November, after which it is expected to be fully operational.

Xayaburi

The environmental and human rights NGO International Rivers (IR), which plans to hold a panel discussion about the Xayaburi dam on October 22 in Thailand, issued a warning about widespread negative impact from the dams.

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