Lao Dam Harms Fishing Communities by Aviva Imhof T housands of villagers living around the recently opened Theun-Hinboun dam in Laos are already experiencing severe impacts to their livelihoods, according to an independent researcher who visited the area. Bruce Shoemaker, who lived in Lao PDR for seven years and is a fluent Lao speaker, interviewed 60 people in 10 villages during a visit to the project area in March. Interviewees included women and men, fish-stall owners, shop owners, fishermen, village headmen, boat pilots and others. In all three areas visited, villagers reported substantial declines in fish catches. These declines ranged from 30 to 90 percent.
Local people are heavily dependent on fish as a source of food and income.
Interviews with villagers living around the reservoir, however, reveal that riverbank gardens which provide both essential food and income have been flooded and eroded. An entire village of over 100 households living below the dam has been informed that they will have to move because of the increased threat of flooding. Now we can only get about half as many fish as before the dam closed. Also, the vegetable gardens along the riverbank have all been flooded. We have not been told about receiving any help or compensation for these problems.