Paying attention to the lives of ethnic minority communities in the downstream areas of small hydropower plants.
On December 19th, the People's Committee of Tuong Duong district, in coordination with the Nghe An Forestry Development Consulting Center and the Project Management Board, organized a workshop to promote equitable sharing of water resources for ethnic minority communities downstream of small hydropower plants through cooperation between communities, businesses, and state management agencies in Vietnam.
Comrades Nguyen Huu Hien - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Tuong Duong District; and Nguyen Thanh Nham - Director of the Nghe An Forestry Development Consulting Center, co-chaired the workshop. Attendees included leaders from the Xoong Con, Nam Non, and Ban Ang hydropower plants; and representatives and residents from Tam Thai, Luong Minh, and Xa Luong communes.
The project, funded by The Stockholm Environment Institute, organizes a workshop to promote equitable water resource sharing for ethnic minority communities downstream of small hydropower plants through collaboration between communities, businesses, and government agencies in Vietnam.
In his opening remarks at the workshop, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nham, Director of the Nghe An Forestry Development Consulting Center, emphasized that water is an extremely important resource, creating life and having a profound impact on human life, socio-economic development, and the environment. Exploiting and promoting the immense value of water resources in mountainous areas, many hydropower projects have been built and operated, bringing many socio-economic benefits. Through these, they contribute to creating a source of clean energy, generating budget revenue, paying for forest environmental services, and creating jobs for the people...
However, alongside their positive aspects, hydropower projects also leave behind many undesirable impacts, adversely affecting water resources for production and daily life, causing droughts and floods. Therefore, researching and assessing the impacts of small hydropower projects on socio-economic development, the environment, biodiversity, especially downstream areas, and establishing mechanisms for benefit-sharing and cooperation between businesses, communities, government at all levels, and stakeholders is essential.
The Xoóng Con Hydropower Plant, invested in by MCK Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company, began production in late 2018. To date, the plant has made many economic and social contributions to the State and the local area. However, hydropower has also had undesirable impacts on the people, such as: the construction of hydropower plants upstream has caused water shortages directly affecting crops and livestock; loss of agricultural land for people; and a serious decline in aquatic resources.
At the workshop, in addition to research reports and draft mechanisms and action plans, delegates also discussed and reached consensus on several contents of the draft research report and action plan.
Concluding the workshop, Mr. Nguyen Huu Hien, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Tuong Duong District, acknowledged the responsible contributions of the delegates. He also requested that all relevant parties compile and finalize the report and draft action plan. After the project is completed and the action program is issued, the local government and people should participate in its implementation. In particular, he requested that the investor of the Xoong Con hydropower plant, and other hydropower plants in general, pay attention to supporting the people in the affected areas…
