Study faults contracts for dams' negative impacts

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Cristina Maza

 

Subpar project contracts may be to blame for the destruction of livelihoods and changes to ecosystems caused by foreign-run hydropower dams, a new report in the peer-reviewed journal Water has determined.

 

In a study of the Kamchay dam in Kampot province, operated by the Chinese firm Sinohydro, researchers from the London-based School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) found that industries relied upon by local populations, such as bamboo collection and tourism, had been significantly harmed by the dam.

 

“Villagers reported they are only able to collect a low quantity of bamboo since the dam was built. This is because the old bamboo area has been flooded and the new bamboo area is far away and difficult to access,” the paper reads. “The only livelihood alternative for the bamboo collectors is to work as construction workers; however the income they can get is not enough to support their family needs.”

 

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