Concerns over Mekong dam gather force
The construction of the Don Sahong dam threatens a key population of the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin.
WWF has called for an urgent review of the Laos National Assembly’s decision to approve construction of the controversial Don Sahong dam on the main stem of the Mekong river. The dam, to be built by Malaysia’s Mega First Corporation Berhad, threatens the food security and livelihoods of 60 million people downstream in Cambodia and Vietnam, as well as the entire Mekong River ecosystem and its critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphins. Reports of the impending construction are a huge concern as the project is still the subject of international mediation to address the objections of neighbouring countries, opposition from leading scientists and local communities, and a petition signed by 250,000 people.