VOA慢速英語:中國緬甸以及其他地區(qū)的大壩建設(shè)存在爭議

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From VOA Learning English, this is As It Is.

Welcome back. I’m Caty Weaver.

Today on the show: concerns and disputes about dambuilding projects in Asia.

A major environmental group is worried about possibleharm from a dam planned in Laos on the MekongRiver. The dam would provide electricity for Laos andneighboring Cambodia. The World Wide Fund forNature says it is not against the dam completely. It wants to find a betterlocation for it.

But first, we discuss a dam dispute between China and Burma. The twocountries had agreed to the project but now Burma is resisting the plan.

Burma Halts Chinese Dam Project

China has the most dams in the world. However, one Chinese plan to build adam on the Mekong River has fueled debate. In 2011, the government inBurma, also known as Myanmar, halted the two countries' joint Myitsone damproject after protests at home.

Some observers think more openness from China can help ease disputesabout the project.

China is famous for building the world’s largest hydroelectric dam: the ThreeGorges Dam. China also has the largest number of dams in the world. And,Chinese businesses are a top builder of dams in other countries.

The reservoir at Three Gorges Dam in Hubei Province, China.

The group International Rivers has studied Chinesedam projects. It found that Chinese banks andcompanies have helped build hundreds of dams inmany countries, mainly in Africa and Southeast Asia.

Richard Cronin is director of the Southeast AsiaProgram at the Stimson Center, a non-profit publicpolicy group. He is an expert in hydroelectric dams on the Mekong River, which flows through severalcountries.

“Chinese companies are involved in four, possibly five, of the 11 mainstreamdams, as well as lots of dams on tributaries. So, China's role is a big factor inall infrastructure development, particularly in Laos and Cambodia. But it isalso a particularly big factor in the development of these dams."

However, critics are increasingly condemning the methods being used to buildthe dams. They say the projects cause environmental and social harm. AndChina's plan to build a dam on the Mekong has led to more criticism.

Darrin Magee is an associate professor of environmental studies at Hobartand William Smith College in New York State.

“I think one reason for the controversy is a lack of clear data. A clearunderstanding of how much these dams are going to impact flowsdownstream. Flows of water and flows of silt, basically.”

The Stimson Center’s Richard Cronin says China does not releaseinformation about the rivers it dams and the affected environment. Chineseofficials consider the information a state secret. Mr. Cronin says Chinesegovernment departments also lack cooperation and communication. He sayseach dam is an independent project.

The best-known dam project in Southeast Asia is the Myitsone dam on theIrrawaddy River. The 3.6 billion dollar dam is a joint project among the ChinaPower Investment Corporation, Burma's Ministry of Electric Power, and aprivate company. But Burmese President Thein Sein suspended work on thedam in 2011 after protests in his country.

Sun Yun is a researcher at the Stimson Center. She says the Myitsone damproject is a good example of Chinese policy-making by individuals who havedifferent interests.

“China's central government, which is Beijing, local government, which isYunnan province, and the business interests, China Power and Investment,they prioritize different things”

She says China’s government hoped to keep good relations with Burma. TheYunnan provincial government wanted to use the project to become an energycenter for southwestern China. And the China Power and InvestmentCorporation looked to the dam as a way to make profits.

Environmental Group Seeks New Location for Mekong River Dam Project

Environmentalists are concerned about a plan to build a hydroelectric dam inLaos near the border with Cambodia. A wildlife protection group recentlyreleased a report about the dam project. Bob Doughty has more in this reportfrom VOA’s Steve Herman in Bangkok.

The World Wide Fund for Nature sharply criticized astudy on the proposed Don Sahong dam and its effectson the environment. The group called the study, a “recipe for disaster.” The environmental impact assessment report was released in January. It found that the dam in Laos would have no major effect on the environment.

The World Wide Fund for Nature disputes that finding.

The dam would provide most of its 260 megawatts of electricity to neighboring countries: Thailand and Cambodia. A Malaysian company plans to build themajor hydro electric dam.

The World Wide Fund for Nature questioned the company’s claim that theproject will have no major effect on the environment. The group said the claimis not based on scientific evidence. It also urged the developer to examine how the dam would affect societies and economies across borders.

Don Sahong Dam model

Plans for the project include a passageway through the dam for fish that swimup and down the Mekong River. Fish are an important food source for people living along the river.

Marc Goichot of the WWF has been studying the project. He says the proposed passage system is unproven and risky.

“If you block this process then the species will disappear. And the place wherethe project is planned is a very specific channel in the multi-channel section of the river that is the only one that is easy to pass for fish.”

Marc Goichot says the WWF is not seeking to prevent the dam from beingbuilt. Instead, he says, the group is concerned about the area where the damis being built. He says there are other choices.

“We believe there are many places that are far less risky. So if you woulddevelop those hydropower projects at the right sites then it would be mucheasier to mitigate the impact. And for the same hydropower production youwould have far less risk on your natural resources and among yourenvironment.”

The Don Sahong dam project is one of 11 planned dams on the lower part of the Mekong River, which runs for 4,300 kilometers through Southeast Asia.

I’m Bob Doughty.

And that’s As It Is for today. I’m Caty Weaver. Thanks for joining us.