{"id":1317,"date":"2016-08-23T07:48:30","date_gmt":"2016-08-23T07:48:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shanhumanrights.org\/?p=1317"},"modified":"2024-08-07T04:44:58","modified_gmt":"2024-08-07T04:44:58","slug":"key-concerns-about-the-naung-pha-dam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shanhumanrights.org\/?p=1317","title":{"rendered":"Key concerns about the Naung Pha Dam"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Concerns about the Naung Pha dam on the Salween River<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/header>\n
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By Shan Community Groups<\/strong><\/section>\n
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Date: August 23, 2016<\/section>\n
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\u00ad<\/strong>Background facts about Naung Pha dam<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Location:<\/strong><\/td>\non the Salween River, between Lashio and Ho Pang townships in N. Shan State<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Height:<\/strong><\/td>\n90 m<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Installed capacity:<\/strong><\/td>\n1,200 megawatts (90% for export to China)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Reservoir size:<\/strong><\/td>\n31.28 km (backwater length 110 kms)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Companies involved:<\/strong><\/td>\nHydrochina Corporation (China \u2013 state-owned)<\/p>\n

International Group of Entrepreneurs (Burma)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

MOU signed:<\/strong><\/td>\nDecember 2009 (in presence of future Chinese President Xi Jinping)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
MOA signed:<\/strong><\/td>\n\n

March 2014<\/p>\n

Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) being carried out by Australian Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (SMEC) \u2013 due for completion in Sept 2016<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Key concerns about the Naung Pha Dam<\/strong><\/p>\n

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We are strongly opposed to any dams on the free-flowing Salween River, a vital artery sustaining millions of ethnic people in eastern Burma. Any blockage to its mighty flow would have far-reaching\u00a0 environmental and social impacts. However, the general perception in central Burma appears to be that the Salween is at a remote edge of the country, and dams will have little impact. In particular there is little public knowledge about the Salween in \u201cremote\u201d northeastern Shan State. We therefore wish to highlight some specific concerns about the Naung Pha Dam as follows:<\/p>\n

Fueling Conflict \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Naung Pha dam is situated in an active conflict area. West of the dam site and projected reservoir area, the Burma Army and its militias are carrying out offensives against ethnic armed groups including the Shan State Progress Party\/Shan State Army (SSPP\/SSA), Kachin Independence Army (KIA), and the Ta\u2019ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) to seize control of their areas and local natural resources. None of these groups signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) on October 15, 2015.<\/p>\n

To the east of the dam site lies the Wa Self-Administered Region, controlled by the heavily armed United Wa State Army (UWSA), which also did not sign the NCA. There has been ongoing tension between the UWSA and the Burma Army over territorial issues, as only part of the UWSA-controlled areas are recognized as the Wa Self-Administered Region under the 2008 Constitution. The Burma Army have repeatedly ordered the UWSA to withdraw from its southern territories along the Thai border, but the UWSA has refused, leading to military build-up on both sides, and even erupting into fighting in June 2015.<\/p>\n

If the Naung Pha dam starts to be built, the Burma Army will definitely reinforce its troops to secure the dam-site, and launch operations to clear ethnic armed groups from the area. This will cause more conflict, and ongoing Burma Army abuses of local villagers suspected of supporting the ethnic armed groups<\/p>\n

Furthermore, Naypyidaw\u2019s recent unilateral decision to proceed with the Salween dams[1]<\/a>\u00a0— \u00a0including the Naung Pha dam — despite strong opposition by ethnic communities all along the river, is directly contrary to the government\u2019s claimed commitment to peace. A key root cause of the conflict is ethnic resentment of central government exploitation of natural resources in their areas. Thus, selling off the Salween to foreign investors even before political dialogue about federal power sharing has begun, throws into doubt the government\u2019s willingness to recognize the demands of ethnic peoples for equal rights, and bodes ill for the peace process.<\/p>\n

The Burmese government\u2019s claim that it needs to build the Salween dams to address Burma\u2019s energy needs is also false, as most of the power from the five planned dams will be exported to neighbouring countries. 90% of the 1,200 megawatts produced by the Naung Pha dam will be exported to China, while local people in Burma will have to bear all the costs.China\u2019s role in pushing the Burmese government to accept the unpopular Salween dams, in order to meet Chinese power needs, should also be criticized. Given the dams\u2019 potential to fuel conflict, this is direct interference in Burma\u2019s internal affairs and disruption of a peace process China is claiming to support.<\/p>\n

Chinese pressure on the UWSA to accept the Naung Pha dam, despite the damaging impacts on local communities, also deserves criticism. It pits the UWSA against its grassroots constituency, as well as against other ethnic armed groups who are opposed to the Salween dams, fuelling ethnic divisions that will not be conducive to peace.<\/p>\n

Risk of dam breakage from earthquakes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yunnan province is one of the most earthquake prone areas of China. The fact that the Salween\/Nu river runs directly along the Nu River fault lines, was one of the main reasons why the Chinese government suspended its plans to build dams on the river inside China. According to Chinese earthquake specialists,\u00a0 the weight of water in a dam reservoir above a fault line is likely to trigger earthquakes.The areas of northern Shan State adjoining China are also earthquake prone. The Naung Pha dam is located close to the Nampawng fault line, and its reservoir will extend up to the Nam Ting fault line. During July to August, three earthquakes took place in Ho Pang township, along the Nam Ting fault.<\/p>\n

Villagers living downstream of the Naung Pha dam are therefore extremely fearful about dam breakage, and the large-scale loss of life and property which would be caused by the sudden massive flood of water released.<\/p>\n

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Map of large earthquakes in Burma Fault lines near Naung Pha dam site (NTf = NamTing fault, NPf = Nampawng fault)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are similar concerns about the 1,400 megawatt\u00a0Kunlong dam, planned by Chinese Hanenergy on the Salween river, just north of the Nam Ting fault line. If an earthquake caused the Kunlong dam to break, the entire town of Kunlong, which lies just south of the dam, would be devastated by the resulting torrent of water.<\/p>\n

Increased risk of flooding<\/strong><\/p>\n

The dam reservoir of the Naung Pha dam will be 110 kms long, reaching up to the mouth of the Nam Ting river. Already there is seasonal flooding along the Nam Ting, which last month caused damage to thousands of acres of farmland, and last week wrecked property in downtown Ho Pang.\u00a0 If the Naung Pha dam is built, the rate of water drainage along the Nam Ting will be further reduced, meaning an even greater likelihood of flooding and damage to crops and homes in the Nam Ting valley. Heavy flooding above the dam may also necessitate a sudden release of a large volume of water from the dam, causing a dangerous water surge downstream.<\/p>\n