Indigenous communities living along the Sesan, Srepok, and Sekong Rivers rely on the
rivers’ natural resources, along with traditional shifting cultivation for both cultural and
economic purposes. These remote communities have limited access to social services,
lack opportunities to participate in the processes of development and often suffer from
their rights either being violated or not fully respected.
Hydropower dam development along the Sesan, Srepok, and Sekong Rivers in Vietnam
and Lao PDR has been viewed as serious threat to several different indigenous
communities living downstream of these dams in Cambodia. Since the construction and
operation of some hydropower dams, such as the 720 MW Yali Falls dam on the Sesan
River, villagers have experienced large-scale social, economic and environmental
impacts during the last decade. These dam-affected communities are now living with
economic insecurity due to a sharp decline in fish catches and agricultural production, as
well as a fear of the river due to its erratic water-level changes (McKenney 2001)
The basic rights of villagers living along the Sesan River have been violated, such as their
right to life, right to food and water, right to access information, right to participate in
decision making, right to remedy for the loss of life and livelihoods they have suffered,
and right to be protected (NGO Forum on Cambodia 2005). In some cases, villagers are
even abandoning their villages along the river to move into the highlands, because they
can no longer rely on the rivers and its natural resources and are tired of living with fear
that the dam may break or their lives will be swept away in a water surge or flood. One
woman in Pawdal village along the Sesan River summarized her feeling by stating,
“Everyday people are scared of the water, the same feeling as if they have just seen a
cobra or a tiger.”
Dam-affected communities have yet to receive mitigation or compensation for the
impacts that they have suffered from Yali Falls dam. Despite communities’ efforts to
bring this issue to various responsible authorities, i.e. government of both countries, etc.,
dam builders, stakeholders, and governments involved have denied responsibility for the
negative impacts that have occurred along the Sesan River.
In addition to the Yali Falls dam, a cascade of dams is now being planned for the Sesan,
Srepok, and Sekong Rivers in both Vietnam and Lao PDR. Some of these dams are
currently under construction and were planned without people’s participation nor
adequate or complete Environmental and Social Impact Assessments. Full report.
