Representatives from government, mining business operators, developments partners and non-government organisations met in Vientiane to consult on ways to improve and change mining sector licensing and investment systems in Laos.
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Regional NGOs Convene in Myanmar to Improve Community Involvement in Infrastructure Decisions
This week, 50 representatives from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) across the Mekong region met in Myanmar to share successes and challenges in effectively involving local communities in environmental impact assessment processes. At the “Community Engagement in Environmental Impact Assessment: A Regional Exchange and Learning Forum” in Yangon, participants explored approaches to helping communities constructively engage with businesses and government to ensure sustainable and equitable development in the context of increasing infrastructure investment in the region.
Regional EIA Experts learned ‘Win-Win’ Solutions from Public Participation in EIA in 4th MPE Webinar
Asian Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Network (AECEN) in collaboration with Mekong Partnership for the Environment (MPE) organized the Fourth MPE Webinar Series on Win-Win Solutions from Public Participation in Environmental Impact Assessment on 30th August 2016, hosted by Dr. Peter King. Over 28 Government officials from the EIA department, CSOs along with other EIA Practitioners across Asia and representatives from development partners registered for this event.
Public Consultations Underway to Improve Environmental Impact Assessment for Infrastructure Development
More than 50 representatives from private sector companies, communities, civil society organizations, government agencies, environmental impact assessment (EIA) consulting firms gathered today at a public consultation in Hanoi to provide feedback on draft Regional Guidelines on Public Participation in Environmental Impact Assessment processes as a way to ensure these processes involve affected communities. The participants’ input will help improve an effort that is seen by many as critical for the region to address the environmental and social impacts of the growing array of regional development projects such as dams, mines, power plants, and industrial zones.
Lower Sesan II Dam on Schedule
The Lower Sesan II dam is expected to generate electricity as planned by 2017, filling a power void in the country as national grid construction is under way, according to the deputy provincial governor of Stung Treng.
Coal-fired power plants threaten Vietnam deltas
Vietnam’s plan to take its total number of coal-fired power plants to 31 by 2020 has raised environmental concerns.
To minimize costs and the loss of electrical power during transmission, thermal power plants in Vietnam are usually built near large economic centers of the country’s Red River Delta and Mekong Delta regions, where electricity usage is at its highest.
Environmental hazards caused by these types of power plants came to the fore in April 2015, when coal ashes from Vinh Tan 2 Thermal Power Station in Binh Thuan Province spread to nearby residential areas due to low levels of air humidity.
Protests dog Thilawa SEZ as second phase nears start
Over 70 companies across 14 countries have invested more than US$700 million in the Thilawa special economic zone, but local residents affected by the project are still campaigning to have the next phase halted until issues around resettlement, compensation and environmental impact are resolved.
Celebrating the 100th Edition of MPE Mekong News Digest: Equipping the Region’s Experts with Information
This week the USAID-supported Mekong Partnership for the Environment (MPE) is celebrating its 100th edition of the MPE Mekong News Digest.
The Digest – a curation of news, commentary and resources on regional development projects – now has over 4000 subscribers, from NGOs, development agencies, governments, business and media. MPE launched The Digest to help meet the growing need for news that crosses borders, as development moves forward across the region.
WILL CLIMATE CHANGE SINK THE MEKONG DELTA?
It’s a sad fact that several decades of talk about climate change have hardly anywhere yet led to serious efforts to adapt to phenomena that are virtually unavoidable. Neuroscientists say that’s because we’re humans. We aren’t wired to respond to large, complex, slow-moving threats. Our instinctive response is apathy, not action.
Ticking water time bombs in hydropower plants?
A tunnel break in the Song Bung 2 hydroelectric power plant in the central province of Quang Nam released nearly 30 million cubic metres of water that rushed to thousands of villagers living downstream, killing two, and caused at least VND5 billion of losses. The latest incident raised alarms about whether the hydropower plants in Viet Nam meet safety requirements, especially when the Song Bung 2 had already passed the highest examination bars.
The Song Bung 2 hydropower incident washed away two people, one of who is still missing, and local residents cannot shake off the horrifying thought that they, too, might have been among the dead.