Mae Wong Dam - objections overruled under article 44

[cumgranosalum]

It now seems that this pointless dam is going to go aead despite serious scientific evidence that shows it is virtually without merit.

The drought - which has nothing to do with this particular dam proposal, has been used as an excuse by the authorities to rush the dam through under article 44 thus by-passing all the legitimate objections to its construction.

[cumgranosalum]

Here are the conclusions of a report last year prepared for the IUCN National Committee for Thailand by the IUCN Asia Regional Office .....

"5. Conclusions/Recommendations

IUCN recognizes the need for Thailand to take steps to resolve national issues of water resources management, in order to secure the nation's irrigation system, and reduce the impacts of floods and droughts. In this particular case, however, it would appear that the environmental costs of dam construction would outweigh the positive impacts on national water resources management. MWNP is part of a protected landscape of global importance, forms a buffer zone for a World Heritage Site, includes a habitat type of great ecological value that has been mostly eradicated elsewhere in SE Asia, and is home to a globally-significant and recovering population of tigers in addition to a number of other globally threatened species.

The information reviewed during the preparation of this report suggests that the construction of a dam within MWNP does have the potential to negatively impact both the integrity and 'Outstanding Universal Value' of the Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries World Heritage Site. Habitat destruction and increased poaching in MWNP related to dam construction would be likely eventually to 'spill over' into the World Heritage property, impacting its Outstanding Universal Value as recognized under criteria (ix) and (x). These concerns were raised in November 2012 by the Director of the World Heritage Centre, in a letter to the Government of Thailand. Furthermore, the evidence generated by the 2011-2012 WEFCOM mammal survey that individual tigers utilize habitats both in MWNP and in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary suggests that the construction of a Mae Wong Dam in its proposed location could impact directly on the tiger population in the World Heritage Site through loss of dispersal habitat and a reduced prey base.

14

On the 7th November 2014, at a seminar at Kasetsart University organized by the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation, the Department of National Parks confirmed their intention to propose the expansion of the Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries World Heritage site to include Mae Wong National Park, and adjacent Klong Lan National Park.

Aside from environmental considerations, significant knowledge gaps still remain about how successful the Mae Wong Dam would be as a tool for irrigation and flood prevention. While it is likely that its construction would have some utility under both of these functions (locally, if not nation-wide), it seems unlikely that this will be sufficient to justify the scale of the investment or the environmental cost. As a priority, assessments should be undertaken of the proposed dam and the alternative water management options available. Alternative options may be shown to be as (or more) effective, significantly cheaper, and less destructive. "

it seems the authorities "know better" - on what basis though, is a mystery.