Dam
Bye Bye Nakai plateauA verdant plateau in Laos is home to some of the world's rarest animal species. Now, thanks to World Bank backing, it will disappear as part of a huge scheme to export hydroelectricity.
Laos wants to capture their abundant rainfail, dam it up and sell it to Thailand as electricity. But, as with all dam projects, flora, fauna and families will have to be sacrificed. Still, to put it in perspective:
Laos, a former French colony which gained independence in 1949, is one of Asia's poorest countries with a per capita GDP of as little as $320 (£170). Around 80 per cent of the working population is employed in small-scale agriculture while large areas of the country have not been cleared of landmines dropped by the US during the Vietnam War. The Laos authorities hit on the idea of using one of the country's few abundant resources - rainfall - and developing a hydroelectricity scheme to produce energy for export.
Tough call, but I'm still waiting to hear about a single dam project that succeeded. Someone please correct me.
* Ray, 4/05/2005 10:29:03 AM
