Caring for the lives of ethnic minority communities downstream of small hydropower plants

Comrades: Nguyen Huu Hien - Vice Chairman of Tuong Duong District People's Committee; Nguyen Thanh Nham - Director of Nghe An Forestry Development Consulting Center co-chaired the workshop. Attending the workshop were leaders of Xoong Con, Nam Non, Ban Ang hydropower plants; representatives of leaders and people of Tam Thai, Luong Minh, Xa Luong communes.

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The project organizes 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, sponsored by The Stockholm Environment Institute.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nham - Director of Nghe An Forestry Development Consulting Center emphasized that water is an extremely important resource, creating life, having a huge and profound impact on human life, socio-economics and the environment. Exploiting and promoting the great value of water resources in mountainous areas, many hydroelectric projects have been built, operated and brought many socio-economic values. Thereby, contributing to creating clean energy sources, budget revenue, paying for forest environmental services, creating jobs for people...

However, besides the positive aspects, hydropower projects also leave many unwanted impacts, adversely affecting water resources for production, life, droughts, floods... Therefore, it is very necessary to research and evaluate the impacts of small hydropower on socio-economics, environment, biodiversity, especially downstream of the project and build a mechanism for action to share benefits and cooperation between enterprises and the community, authorities at all levels and relevant parties.

Xoong Con Hydropower Plant, invested by MCK Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company, has been put into production since the end of 2018. Up to now, the plant has made many economic and social contributions to the State and the locality. However, hydropower has also had undesirable impacts on people such as: the construction of hydropower plants upstream has caused water shortages that directly affect crops and livestock; loss of people's productive land; serious decline in aquatic resources;...

At the workshop, in addition to research reports and draft mechanisms and action plans, delegates also discussed and agreed on some contents of the draft research reports and action plans.

Concluding the workshop, comrade Nguyen Huu Hien - Vice Chairman of Tuong Duong District People's Committee acknowledged the responsible opinions of the delegates; At the same time, he requested the relevant parties to synthesize and complete the report and draft the action plan. After the project is completed and the action plan is issued, the local government and people will get involved to implement it. In particular, he requested the investor of Xoong Con Hydropower Plant in particular and the hydropower plants to pay attention to supporting people in the affected areas...