VietNamNet Bridge – The government has requested the Ministry of
Industry and Trade (MOIT) to check the plan on developing hydropower
plants and exclude the Dong Nai 6 and Dong Nai 6A from the plan.
The
news about the fate of the Dong Nai 6 and Dong Nai 6A hydropower plant
projects has been always on the first pages of the daily newspapers
these days.
Three years ago, thiennhien.net reported that the
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has agreed with the proposal by the
Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MONRE) to stop the
two projects.
The Prime Minister has also requested the Ministry
of Industry and Trade to reconsider the hydropower plant systems on the
Dong Nai River.
MONRE, after considering the projects, came to a
conclusion that the hydropower plants, if built as planned, would do
more harm than good.
Shortly after the ministry made the
conclusion, the Vietnam River Network VRN released the statements on
advocating the ministry’s proposal.
According to the report
submitted by MONRE, if the two projects are implemented, Vietnam would
lose 372 hectares of forest land for ever, including the 128 hectares of
land in Cat Loc area, the core area in the Cat Tien National Park.
There
would be no changes with the current stream. The water inflow to the
Tri An reservoir would remain the same. However, the water reservoirs of
the Dong Nai 6 and Dong Nai 6A hydropower plants would have big impacts
on the water supply in the lower course of the hydropower plant dam.
Analysts
have commented on local newspapers that this is for the first time in
history the existence of a national park can catch such a special
attention from the public.
People got angry when hearing that the
two power plant projects would take away a part of the Cat Tien
National Park, and that UNESCO refused to grant the title “natural
heritage” to the park just because of the threat from the two projects.
The
projects have been put into discussion not only at the meetings
organized by the MONRE and MOIT, become the hot topic of the environment
organization, but have also been discussed at National Assembly’s
sessions.
After MONRE suggested eliminating the Dong Nai and Dong
Nai 6A from the power plant project development plan, MOIT has softened
its voice, saying that if MONRE can prove the negative impacts, the two
projects should be canceled.
A senior official of the MOIT’s
Energy Directorate General said though Dong Nai 6 and Dong Nai 6A are
listed in the national power plant development program in 2011-2020
approved by the Prime Minister, they still need to be canceled if
problems are found.
The Prime Minister’s decision to stop the two
hydropower plant projects has been applauded by people. This has raised a
high hope that the other national parks, which are under the threat by
hydropower plant projects, would also be rescued.
A reader wrote
to Nguoi lao dong that hydropower plants are the engines which most
seriously devastate forests. People in Quang Nam province said they have
suffered heavily from hydropower plants.
The plants have leveled
the mountains and curbed the river. The plants store water and cause
floods. They have also paved the way for illegal lumberjacks to carry
illegally exploited wood.
Kim Chi