Electrical industry of burma/myanmar
ELECTRICITY RATES RAISED, SUBSIDIES FOR CIVIL SERVANTS DROPPED
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- Bu səhifədəki naviqasiya:
- THAHTAY CREEK DAM AND OTHER HYDROPOWER PROJECTS IN ARAKAN
- Compiler’s Note
- YAZAGYO DAM TO CONTRIBUTE TO DEVELOPMENT OF MYITTHA VALLEY
- Topographic map reference
- TRIBES HOME TO BE A VALLEY OF THE DAMMED
- Topographic map references
- THE WEIGYI DAM: A GREAT BARRIER AND A WAY TO SAFETY
ELECTRICITY RATES RAISED, SUBSIDIES FOR CIVIL SERVANTS DROPPED Aye Aye Win, AP, 15/05/06. www.burmanet.org/news/2006/05/15 Myanmar's military government has raised electricity prices while at the same eliminating special lower rates for civil servants and the elderly, an official of the state electric power department said Monday. The move has been touted as a free market reform by the government, and comes directly after massive salary increases announced for civil servants on April 30. The new salaries appear to have been an effort to placate civil servants who in many cases were making less than US$10 (euro 8.30) a month and were hit hard by fuel price increases last year. "As the country has adopted an open-market economy, everything has to be adjusted according to the market economy. However, the government will make a gentle and step by step increase so that the people will not face hardship," said Information Minister Kyaw Hsan last week when asked about the possibility of electricity rate increases. Effective May 1, every household and religious building will pay the same rate of K 25 (US$ 0.02, euro 0.015) per unit while industries will pay K 50 (US$ 0.04, euro 0.03) per unit, said the official, who insisted on anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press. Under the previous rate table, there had been a sliding scale, ranging from K 2.50 (US$0.002 or euro0.0015) to K 25 kyats (US$ 0.02, euro 0.015) per unit, depending on the category of consumer and the amount used. The price for civil servants and pensioners had ranged between 50 pyas (US$ 0.0004 or euro 0.0003) and K 25 (US$ 0.02, euro 0.015). "The new rate will have a bigger impact on government servants, retirees and low-volume consumers," said high school teacher Myint Soe, who is now getting K 44,000 (US$ 33.80, euro 27.97) a month compared to K 10,900 (US$ 8.38, euro 6.92) before the salary hikes. It is unclear how the electricity rate increases will affect the problem of power shortages, caused by inadequate domestic fuel supplies and a shortage of money to import oil. The government for years has been forced to use electricity rationing, even in the country's commercial capital and biggest city, Yangon. Additional references See above: ‘Power rates to double in bid to cut budget deficit’ (MT: 19/12/11) ‘Foreign loans, higher rates, needed for power sector plans’ (NLM: 26/10/11) ‘Local suppliers using new rate structure for electricity charges’ (MT:12/09/11) ‘Chaungzon supplied with electricity at a big loss’ (NLM: 29/03/11) ‘Arakan members raise electricity supply questions in parliament’ (NLM: 15/03/11) ‘Small businesses, factories struggle to keep up with rising fuel prices’ (IRROL: 06/03/08) 'Petrol subsidies and the price of electricity' (Burma Digest: 02/09/07) 'Fuel price increase impacts industrial use of electricity' (IRROL: 15/08/07) See below: ‘Myanmar takes measures to tackle power shortage problem’ (Xinhua: 26/06/01) ‘More inputs needed to power a hydro future’ (MT: 04/06/01) ‘Special privileges alleged in electricity distribution system’ (NCGUB: 21/05/01) ‘Electricity woes continue’ (IRROL: 11/05/01) ‘Experts differ over how to finance improvements in power supply’ (MT: 11/12/00) 'Generation, distribution, consumption of electricity in Myanmar' (World Bank: 18/08/99) 'Myanmar reels under huge electricity price hike' (AFP: 03/08/99)
Rent is free for civil servants' quarters in both Rangoon and Naypyitaw, but in Naypyitaw the apartments are bigger. Water and electricity are also free here and the city enjoys a 24-hour supply of electricity, a rarity outside of military bases. [Compiler’s Note: Based on interviews in the new administrative capital of Naypytaw in April 2007.] Mizzima, 06/09/07 http://www.bnionline.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2419&Itemid=6 The recent hikes in fuel and electricity costs run contrary to the advice of leading academics asked to serve as consultants to the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce Industry (UMFCCI), according to U Myint, a member of the advisory group. "The Central Executive Committee of the UMFCCI and its academic advisory group never presented a formal proposal to the authorities that energy prices should be doubled to meet rising public expenditures," writes U Myint. In a letter addressed to leading regional news agencies he reveals that the first meeting of the 10-member advisory team with UMFCCI officials was in April of 2006. The question to be addressed was how to generate revenue to cover the salary increase for public employees. Chief among the recommendations of a UMFCCI research team shown to the advisory group for feedback was a proposed increase in the price of gasoline from K 1,500 per gallon to K 3,000 along with an increase in the per unit charge of electricity from K 25 to K 100. Everyone in "the advisory group had considerable difficulty with the research team's proposals for meeting the additional budgetary costs of the public sector pay increase, especially with the recommendation to raise energy prices," reads the letter. U Myint, while acknowledging that energy prices in Burma are among the lowest in the region, argues that the paltry per capita GDP of Burmese, estimated by the International Monetary Fund as $170, is incapable of shouldering the burden of an increased financial liability resulting from a hike in energy charges. This, combined with a desperately lacking public services sector, U Myint states, is the primary reason why he could not support the UMFCCI research team's proposals. Though a document is now in circulation that makes it appear that the decision to raise energy prices was made in consultation and conjunction with UMFCCI and the 10-member advisory team, U Myint states this is patently "not true". "Academics like us play no role and are completely out of the picture in the decision-making process regarding issues that are of major concern to the people of Myanmar," continues the letter. For that reason, the consultancy group states it cannot be held responsible for policies unfolding in Burma be they positive or negative. Mi Kyae Goe, IMNA, 28/08/06. Edited. http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.burma/browse_thread/thread/70cc0e561b5cfe78/3858fdc2d2fd17a4?lnk=gst&q=electricity#3858fdc2d2fd17a4 The Minister for Electric Power has increased the electricity tariff ten times as of this month in order to increase its revenue earnings. A resident of Moulmein in Mon State said, "The government electricity officers come to read the electricity units consumed in each house and hand over the bills to residents. After which the residents have to go to pay the bills at their office." He added that their electricity bills came to more than 20,000 kyat this month, while they paid about 15,000 kyat last month even after using refrigerators, television, and two electric outputs. Previously, the tariff for electricity units consumed by government servants was cheaper than for normal residents. Now costs for all electric usage are the same, according to a Mudon resident. "Last month, the unit cost of electricity for government personnel was about 0.25- 0.50 kyat and other residents had to pay about 2.5 kyat per unit. Now the tariff is the same -- 25 kyat," she added. Until last month, electricity officers came to residents' houses to collect the monthly electricity bills because the residents didn't want to go to their office. Moreover, according to Myanmar Television (MRTV), the minister urged the electricity office to concentrate on full supply of electricity to people and to collect charges for power consumption accurately. Some quarters get power supply in rotation. Some houses have bought power inverters because of shortage of electricity. In small towns local authorities only distribute power two days a week. ================================================================================== THAHTAY CREEK DAM AND OTHER HYDROPOWER PROJECTS IN ARAKAN NLM, 20/04/06. http://mission.itu.ch/MISSIONS/Myanmar/06nlm/n060420.htm General Than Shwe and party arrived at the site of Thahtay creek hydel power project under construction by the HPD on Thahtay Creek, 12 miles from Thandwe. At the briefing hall, Deputy EPM U Myo Myint reported to the Senior General on aims of the project, feasibility survey works, the site for construction of the main embankment, future tasks and facts about the project. A&IMin Htay Oo briefed the Senior General on tasks in connection with hydel power projects and dam projects. In response, General Than Shwe gave guidance saying that officials of the two ministries are to collaborate by applying appropriate technology for timely completion of the projects without delay. General Than Shwe and party inspected samples of rock extracted from the project, the site chosen for construction of the dam, and construction tasks being carried out with the use of heavy machinery. Thahtay Hydel Power Project will be connected to the national power grid and will supply power to regions of Rakhine state and other areas. The dam will also serve to prevent floods in the region. The dam will be 1,740 feet long and 280 feet high. Three 34-megawatt turbines will be installed. Compiler’s Note: A picture of construction activity at the site accompanies the article. Topographic map references: Burma 1:250,000: Series U542, U.S. Army Map: NF 46-08: Prome Thahtay [Thade] creek dam, 12 mi NE of Thandwe [18° 28' N, 94° 22' E], grid sq reference: 9\6, 23\6 [?]
Burma 1:250,000: Series U542, U.S. Army Map: NF 46-03: Kyaukpyu Ann creek dam, 10 miles from Ann [19° 47' N, 94° 02' E], grid square reference: 11\2, 23\2 [?]
Burma 1:250,000: Series U542, U.S. Army Map: NF 46-12: Henzada Kyeintali creek dam, 38 miles SE of Kyeintali [18° 00' N, 94° 29' E], grid square reference: 8\5, 23\9 [?]
Burma 1:250,000: Series U542, U.S. Army Map: NF 46-14: Akyab Saingdin Falls in Buthidaung township [co-ordinates n.a.], grid square reference: 12\4, 21\6 [?]
Data summary Thahtay creek See above: ‘Shwe gas will electrify Rakhine State: Minister’ (MT: 23/01/12) ‘Gas export deal sparks 24-hour electricity committee in Arakan (NLM, 28/09/11) ‘Arakan reps raise electricity supply questions in parliament’ (NLM: 15/03/11) ‘Sai Tin hydropower project plans announced’ (NLM: 28/01/09) ‘Mini-hydro facilities slated for dams in Kyauktaw township’ (NLM: 26/11/08) 'Bangladesh, Myanmar to sign hydropower deal' (Xinhua: 15/07/07) NLM, 22/03/12. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs13/NLM2012-03-22.pdf A contract for the purchase of materials worth US$ 64.07 million was signed between MEPE and the Power Grid Corp of India in Nay Pyi Taw on 21/03/12. The materials will be used for the grid and sub-power stations that will connect the Thahtay Creek hydropower project to stations in Rakhine State. The costs will be covered by a loan from India. NLM, 28/09/11. Edited. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs12/NLM2011-09-28.pdf At the session of the Pyithu Hluttaw (Peoples’ Chamber) of the Parliament on 27/09/11, U Ba Shein of Kyaukpyu constituency said he had learned that natural gas from the Shwe gas field would be processed at a plant being built near Malakyun village, 6 miles southwest of Kyaukpyu. He asked whether there was a plan to generate electricity for Kyaukpyu using some of this gas, and whether electricity would be supplied to Kyaukpyu through the national power grid. Energy Miniister Than Htay replied that natural gas refined at the station near Malakyun would be sent to China by pipeline and that under contract arrangements it could not be used for other purposes. Although the initial capital costs of gas power plants are cheaper than those of hydropower plants, the costs of producing electricity from natural gas are greater than from hydropower. He said that EPM-1 had plans to produce enough electricity [for Rakhine State] from hydropower projects under development at Thahtaychaung, An, Laymyo and Saidin. Moreover, EPM-2 had plans to set up a 230-KV power grid and main power stations [in the Rakhine]. On completion, the hydropower projects in Rakhine State would not only supply electricity to the Rakhine, but also to the national power grid. While it was not possible to supply electricity to Kyaukpyu through the use of of natural gas from the Shwe project, in the future, arrangements could be made to build a power plant that would use natural gas from the fields offshore of the Rakhine. NLM, 20/09/11. Edited. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs12/NLM2011-09-20.pdf At the session of the Amyotha Hluttaw (Nationalities Chamber) of the Union Parliament on 19/09/11, U Kyaw Kyaw of Rakhine State constituency-2 asked whether the ministry had plans to extend the national grid network to Rakhine State, given the developments relating to exploration for off-shore oil and gas and at Kyaukpyu. In his reply EPM-2 Khin Maung Soe said that a consortium led by Daewoo International had carried out the off-shore oil and natural gas exploration in Rakhine State and that companies from the Republic of Korea, Singapore, China and India had been carrying out off-shore oil and natural gas exploration and inland exploration near Sittway. If these companies found natural gas, there would be opportunities to produce electricity in Rakhine State. Presently, hydropower projects including Thahtaychaung, An, Laymyo and Saidin were being implemented in the state, and these projects would be able to generate sufficient power both for Rakhine State and for export to the national grid. There were plans to construct a network of 230-KV transmission lines and main sub-power stations. These included power supply from the Thahtaychaung hydropower station to Taungup, Mai, Kyaukpyu and An, and from Laymyo and Saidin hydropower stations to Kyauktaw, Sittway, MraukU, Minbya, Pauktaw, Myaypon, Kansauk, Ponnagyun, Buthidaung and Maungdaw and to transport the power surplus to the national grid. Plans to construct a natural gas-fired power station would be laid down only when the conditions required it. NLM, 21/08/11. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs11/NLM2011-08-21.pdf EPM-2 Khin Maung Soe holds discussions with a delegation led by Anil Mehra of the Power Grid Corp of India Ltd on the implementation of a project with the assistance of a loan from India. Agreement signed during visit of General Than Shwe to India, 29/07/10. http://www.burmanet.org/news/2010/07/29/mea-government-of-india-joint-statement-during-the-visit-of-chairman-state-peace-and-development-council-of-myanmar/ Myanmar expressed its appreciation for the line of credit of US$ 64 million by India for transmission lines to be provided executed through India’s M/s. PGCIL [Power Grid Corp of India Ltd]. NLM, 10/06/10. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs09/NLM2010-06-10.pdf On an inspection tour of Thahtay dam project, EPM-1 Zaw Min checks on construction of tunnels 1 and 2, earth work on the diversion tunnel and steel lining and rock bolt installation. He also linspects work on the main embankment and diaphragm wall and is briefed on follow-up tasks. [The print edition of NLM includes an aerial photo of the dam site.] NLM, 19/03/10. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs08/NLM2010-03-19.pdf Prime Minister Thein Sein visits the worksite of Thahtay hydropower project. The dam across Thahtay creek will be 2028 feet long and 298 feet high. Two diversion tunnels are being dug. The power plant will have a generating capacity of 111 megawatts and is expected to produce about 386 million kilowatt hours a year. So far, the project is 20.24pc complete. Power produced will be able to satisfy the electricity demands of the whole southern part of Rakhine State. [A photo of the embankment is included in the print edition of NLM.] Power Grid Corp of India Ltd, Annual Report of the Board of Directors: 09/09/09. http://deadpresident.blogspot.com/2009/10/annual-report-power-grid-2008-2009.html Powergrid has been identified as the implementing agency for a 230-kV transmission project in Myanmar to be funded by the Gov’t. of India through a soft loan. The project involves construction of a transmission network of 230-kV transmission lines approximately 300 miles long, 50 miles of 66-kV transmission lines besides construction of 3 nos. new 230/66/11-kV new substations, one no. 230-kV substation extension and one no. 66/1- kV new substation. NLM, 04/04/09. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs6/NLM2009-04-04.pdf EPM Zaw Min inspects the An creek hydel power plant project being constructed on An creek north of An on 30 March. The project will be equipped with two five-megawatt generators and will supply power to central Rakhine State as well as to the national power grid. He also tours the Saidin hydel power project in Buthidaung township on 31 March. It will be equipped with generators with a combined capacity of 76.5 megawatts and will produce 236 million kilowatt hours per year. [A photo of work at the dam site of the An project is included in the print edtion of NLM.] NLM, 03/04/09. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs6/NLM2009-04-03.pdf EPM No 1 Zaw Min visits Thahtay hydropower project which will supply electricity to the southern region of Rakhine State through the power grid. When completed, the power plant of the project will have a generating capacity of 37 MW (sic) and produce 386 million kWh a year. [An excellent frontal aerial view of the dam project accompanies the news item in the print edition of NLM.] NLM, 08/02/09. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs6/NLM2009-02-08.pdf In a box listing projects for the development of Rakhine state, Thahtaychaung in Thandwe township (111.0 MW) and Anchaung in An township (15.0 MW) are noted as hydropower projects under implementation. Kyeintali in Kyeintali township (28.0 MW), Thandwechaung in Thandwe township (39.0 MW) and Sai Tin in Buthidaung township (70.0 MW) are noted listed as projects to be implemented. Photos of the sites of the Thahtaychaung and Sai Tin hydropower sites are included in the print edition of NLM. The Laymyo [Lemro] hydropower project (see NLM: 16/11/08 below) is not mentioned. NLM, 28/01/09. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs6/NLM2009-01-28.pdf On a visit to Sittwe, PM Thein Sein announces that the Sai Tin (Saingdin) hydropower plant is be built soon in Buthidaung township to provide electricity in the northern part of Rakhine state. A lake is to be created where rainwater will be stored. This will make it possible to generate power during the summer when water is scarce. It is expected that the plant will be able to produce 236 million kilowatt hours a year which will be supplied to to Sittway, Buthidaung, Maungtaw, Kyauktaw, MraukU and Minbya. On the same occasion, EPM No 2 Khin Maung Myint reports on arrangements to link the power grid system in the rest of the country to the Rakhine, Kachin, Chin and Shan East states and Taninthayi division. NLM, 13/01/09. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs6/NLM2009-01-13.pdf SPDC Vice-Chairman General Maung Aye and senior officials of the military regime visit the hydropower project on Thahtay creek on 11/01/09. EPM No 1 Zaw Min presents a report on the water resources in Rakhine State from which electric power can be generated, including the 111-megawatt Thahtay Creek project and the 10-megawatt capacity An Creek project, both presently under construction, and the 500-MW Laymyo and the 76.5-MW Saidin projects which are in the planning phase. The Thahtay creek preoject will have three 37-MW turbines. Work is underway on two diversion tunnels, the first, 2326 feet long, and the second, 1875 feet long. Construction of the main is also being carried out. The spillways and pen stocks already exist in skeletal form. Deputy minister U Myo Myint explains the design of the main dam and the plan to use a Bauer trench cutter for inserting 'retaining walls' in the dam. Retaining walls may have to be used in the Ngalight [Maleik?], Mong [Mone?] and Thapanseik dams. Gen Maung Aye presents gifts to the foreign technicians assigned to the project. After a ‘foundation’ ceremony, the trench cutter is put into place and its earth cutting capabilities are demonstrated.. Compiler's note: Photos of the trench cutter are included in the print edition of NLM. For a brief, non-technical description of the use of trench cutters in dam construction see the article, "Cut-off wall construction at Peribonka dam" in Waterpower Magazine (19/01/07). http://www.waterpowermagazine.com/story.asp?storyCode=2041550 For technical details, consult the article, "Bauer trench cutting systems". http://www.bauer-foundation.com/en/maschinenbau/produkte/schlitzwaendgeraete/schlitzwandfraesen/pdf/uebersicht.pdf Singu Soe Win and Tin Soe, NLM, 26/11/08. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs6/NLM2008-11-26.pdf The Myanma Alin team visited Thahtay hydropower project under construction by Group 6 of the hydropower department near Shwehlay village, about 25 miles northeast of Thandwe in southern Rakhine state. Work continues on the main dam, which is now 76.9pc complete, and two 33- foot-diameter tunnels that are 46.6 pc complete. No 1 tunnel is 2326 feet long and No 2 tunnel is 1875 feet long. The twin spillways are 7.7pc complete and the intake structure, 20.9pc. A 29-foot-diameter, 485-foot-long highpressure steel pipeline [will serve as the penstock for the powerhouse]. Three 37-MW vertical Francis-type turbines will be installed. The hydropower station will be able to generate 386 million kWh per year. The project was launched in 2005 and is due to be finished in 2012. [This feature article, originally published in Myanma Alin on 24/11/08, is accompanied by several photos in the print edition of NLM. Two of them show “land consolidation work . . . being carried out to prevent stored water from seeping through the dam”.] NLM, 16/11/08. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs5/NLM2008-11-16.pdf At the co-ordination meeting (1/2008) of the Special Projects Implementation Committee in the office of the Commander-in-Chief (Army), EPM No 1 Zaw Min gave a brief account of six completed projects, 22 ongoing projects and 15 hydropower projects that call for the approval of the Committee. [Among the the fifteen are] the Laymyo [Lemro] hydropower project (500 megawatts) in Rakhine state. NLM, 28/10/08. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs5/NLM2008-10-28.pdf Maj-Gen Khin Zaw of the MoD visits the An creek hydropower project of HPID, 3.5 miles north-east of An. [A photo showing the current state of the embankments under construction at the An dam is included in the print edition of NLM. There is little sign of activity at the site.] P. S. Suryanarayana, The Hindu, 18/10/08 http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/18/stories/2008101888881800.htm [During his visit to Burma], Union Minister of State for Commerce, Industry and Power, Jairam Ramesh held discussions with Burma’s Electric Power Minister Zhaw Min. These centred on the timelines of two India-aided projects and the overall competitiveness of Indian expertise. Myanmar was assured that there would be no slippage in respect of the ongoing 1,200-MW Thamanthi project in the Chindwin basin and the 111-MW Rakhine unit. Col. Zhaw Min pointed out that the cost-per-MW in China-aided projects was almost one-half of that in regard to the Indian venture. Asia Pulse, 15/10/08. http://www.burmanet.org/news/2008/10/15/ The Exim Bank of India has concluded an agreement with the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank to provide a Line of Credit of $84US.07 million for financing exports from India and to fund the setting up of three transmission lines and an aluminium factory in Myanmar. Under the agreement . . . the Exim Bank has extended $64US.07 million for the three transmission lines Thahtay Chaung Oakshitpin 230KV, Thahtay Chaung Thandwe- Maei Ann 230 KV and Thandwe-Athoke 230 KV to be executed by Power Grid Corporation of India in Myanmar. Out of the total credit by Exim Bank under this agreement, it said, the goods and services of the value of at least 85pc of the contract price shall be supplied by the seller from India, and the remaining goods and services (other than consultancy services) may be procured by the seller for the purpose of eligible contract from outside India. NLM, 29/09/08. http://mission.itu.ch/MISSIONS/Myanmar/08nlm/n080929.htm A Baucer [Bauer] trench cutter (BC-32) needed for construction tasks at the Thahtay hydropower project is being sent from the Htamanthi hydropower project near Tazone village, 30-miles north of Homalin. [See notes above (NLM, 13/01/09) for more details on the use of trench cutters in dam construction. NLM, 24/07/08. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs5/NLM2008-07-24.pdf Thahtay hydropower project is on Thahtay Creek, 12 miles north-east of Thandwe. The project covers a watershed of 442 square miles. In the dam area, the creek flows at a rate of 3,391 cuft/ secs on average, supplying 2.332 million acre feet of water yearly. The dam's gravel-filled embankment will be 2,028 feet long and 298 feet high. It will be able to store 0.696 million acre feet of water at high high level mark and 0.221 million acre feet at still water level. The embankment will have two 33-foot-wide, ogee-type spillways and two 33-foot-wide water diversion tunnels. Three 37-MW generators will generate 386 million kilowatt hours yearly. An creek hydropower project will have a 10-MW generator. Power lines will connect the two plants to all parts of of Rakhine State. [A good aerial photo of the Thahtay dam site is included in the print edition of NLM.] Sanjay Jog, Financial Express, 17/07/08. http://www.financialexpress.com/news/PowerGrid-Corp-transmission-network-to-light-up-Myanmar/336477/ The state-run PowerGrid Corporation of India has embarked upon a plan to set up transmission lines in Myanmar. The power ministry and PowerGrid Corporation, which is a central transmission utility in India under the Electricity Act, have already held talks in this regard. The power ministry has asked the PowerGrid Corporation to send a delegation to Myanmar in regard to the execution of the transmission works there. Sources at the power ministry and PowerGrid Corporation said, “PowerGrid Corporation will be the executing authority for three transmission lines in Myanmar. The Centre has supported Exim Bank of $64.07 million to Myanmar for setting up of the transmission infrastructure. The distribution of this credit amount among different transmission network is as follows. Thahtay Ghauung-Oakshitpin 230 kv transmission line ($13.577 million), Thahtay Chaung-Thandwe-Maei-Ann 230 kv transmission line ($30.5 million) and Thandwe-Athoke 230 kv transmission line ($20 million).” Thet Khaing, Myanmar Times, 30/06/08. http://www.mmtimes.com/no425/n008.htm India agreed last week to provide US$84 million in loans to Myanmar to finance upgrades of electricity supply infrastructure in Rakhine State and Ayeyarwady Division. According to the agreement, which was signed in Nay Pyi Taw on Tuesday, India will loan Myanmar $64 million to install three power transmission lines connecting Thahtay Chaung hydropower project in Thandwe, Rakhine State, to other areas in the state as well as to Ayeyarwady Division. An additional $20 million will be loaned for the construction of a factory that will produce 14,000 tonnes of power cables a year. The loans, which will be implemented by the state-owned Power Grid Corporation of India, were granted by the government-owned Export-Import Bank of India. The Hindu, 28/06/08. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/28/stories/2008062854731600.htm quar
An Indian delegation led by Minister of State for Commerce and Power Shri Jairam Remesh called on Minister for National Planning and Economic Development U Soe Tha at the ministry in Nay Pyi Taw where they frankly discussed matters on bilateral co-operation in economic and trade sectors. After the meeting, the two ministers signed a Bilateral Investment Promotion Agreement. A credit line agreement between the Exim Bank of India and the Myanmar Trade Bank for $ 20 million for financing the establishment of an aluminium conductor steel reinforced (ACSR) wire manufacturing facility and a credit line agreement between the Exim Bank of India and the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank for $ 64 million for financing three 230-kV transmission lines in Myanmar were signed by Managing Director of the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank Than Yi and Sunil Trikha of the Exim Bank. The Agreement for providing the banking arrangement was signed by managing directors of the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank and Myanmar Investment and Trade Bank and Mr Ashok Rai of the United Bank of India.
EPM No 2 Khin Maung Myint meets with MD Ajay Krishna Goyal and party of Angellque International Ltd of India with regard to 230-kV power line projects such as the Thahtaychaung-Okshitbin, the Thahtaychaung-Maei-An and the Thahtaychaung-Gwa-Athok projects. Times Of India, 02/11/07. http://www.rebound88.net/ India’s Export-Import Bank (Exim Bank) has extended a US$60 million Line of Credit (LoC) to the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank to finance the Thahtay chaung hydropower project. The agreement was signed in Rangoon on Oct 29 by S R Rao, on behalf of Exim Bank, and Than Ye, MD of Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank. Under the LoC, Exim Bank will reimburse 100pc of the contract value to the Indian exporter, upfront on the shipment of goods. Franco – ASEAN Seminar Myanmar Country Presentation, 06-07/09/07. http://www.jgsee.kmutt.ac.th/seminar_programme/DAY%202/Country%20Report%202/Tin%20-%20Myanmar%20-%20Presentation.pdf Thahhtay dam and power station with a planned capacity of 102 MW is under implementation by the HPID. It will generate 394 million kWh annually when it comes on line in Dec 2009. Ann dam and power station with a planned capacity of 15 MW is under implementation by the HPID. It is expected to generate 65 million kWh annually when it comes on line in 2009. NLM, 03/04/07. http://mission.itu.ch/MISSIONS/Myanmar/07nlm/n070403.htm EPM No 1 Zaw Min visits Thahtay hydel power project in Thandwe on 30 March; it will be equipped with three 37.5 MW generators. Zaw Min also visited An Chaung Hydel Power Project on An Creek on 31 March; work on the main dam is underway at the project about 3.5 miles north-east of Ann; the generators there will have a capacity of 15 MW and are expected to produce about 65 million kWh per year. Myanmar Times, 13/11/06. [Issue 342 of MT is not available on-line] An official of EPM No 1 said the Dept of Hydroelectric Power (DHP) is conducting a feasibility study to build a hydropower station about 16 km (10 miles) upstream from the village of Ann in Rakhine State. “The department is building camps and roads to facilitate the project,” the official said, adding that the station will include three turbines capable of producing a total of 15 MW of power. Thiha Aung, NLM, 25/04/05. http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs3/NLM2005-04-25.pdf Thahtay Chaung Hydropower Project will be implemented on Thate Creek 15 miles north-east of Tandwe; it will supply electricity to southern Rakhine State and contribute power to the grid. It will be a ‘zone-type’ dam with a central [earth] core, 1,300 feet long, 250-feet high. Maximum water storage capacity will be 340,000 acre feet, 216 feet deep. It will be able to generate 100 MW and provide 318 million kilowatt hours annually. The project will assist in the development of Thandwe and hotel services on the Ngapali Beach Resort. In addition, An Chaung hydropower project will be launched on An Creek, 3.5 miles north-east of An. It is designated for regional development. The dam there will be 1,600 feet long and 140 feet high and will have a storage capacity of 399,400 acre feet. During the first phase, it will be be able to generate 5 MW and produce 33 million kilowatt hours a year; in its second phase, it will generate 10 MW and produce 53 million kilowatt hours a year. NLM, 18/04/05. http://www.myanmargeneva.org/05nlm/n050418.htm Thahtay Creek hydro-electric power project will be on the Thahtay Creek, about 15 miles north-east of Thandwe; it will be a zone type dam with a central earth core, 1300 feet in length and 250 feet in height. The water storage capacity of the dam will 340,000 acre feet; the hydropower station will be able to generate 100 MW; annual power supply is estmated at 318 million kWh. Narinjara News, 11/05/05. www.burmanet.org/news/2005/05/11/ Three power plants are being built in Arakan State, but the people have little faith these plants are for their benefit. One project is in Ann township where the headquarters of the regional military command is located and at least five battalions and a brigade are based; the Ann Chaung hydro-power plant will be 3.5 miles north-east of Ann, and will produce 53 million kilowatt hours annually, a second plant in Sandoway (Thandwe), near the well-known beach resort centre of Ngapali is targeting the tourist sector, it will generate 318 million kilowatts hours annually; a third plant will be built in Gwa township where the Khaung Tha beach resort is located. In 1989, the military junta also attempted to build a well-publicized hydro-power project at Sai Dunn Water Fall, in Buthidaung township; however, it was withdrawn 3 years later without any explanation; every government, since that of U Nu, has tried to woo the people of Arakan with the promise of building a power plant at Sai Dunn. NLM, 03/12/04. http://www.myanmargeneva.org/04nlm/n041203.htm Using maps and charts, EPM Tin Htut reports to Gen Than Shwe on the the Thahtay creek, Thandwe creek, and Kyeintali creek hydel power projects to be carried out in the southern Arakan region. Than Shwe gives guidance that priority should be given to the Thahtay creek project. He wants a feasibility study and survey for the An Creek project carried out as soon as possible. A preliminary survey showed that a 15-MW power station could be built on An creek. The Thahtay creek project, 15 miles north-east of Thandwe, will have a 100 MW capacity; priority will be given to supplying power to the Thandwe region and the hotel industry in Ngapali beach. The 30-MW Thandwe creek hydel power station will be on Thandwe Creek 13 miles SE of Thandwe town. Kyeintali creek hydel power project will be located 38 miles south-east of the town. It will be installed with 28-MW turbines. ================================================================================== YAZAGYO DAM TO CONTRIBUTE TO DEVELOPMENT OF MYITTHA VALLEY NLM, 12/04/06. http://burmalibrary.org/docs2/NLM2006-04-12.pdf Lt-Gen Ye Myint of the MoD, A&IM Htay Oo and EPM Tin Htut visited the Yazagyo dam multi-purpose project site near Yazagyo Village on 7 April. Minister Htay Oo reported on the significance of the project for for the development of the Myittha valley area and its potential for crop irrigation and the generation of electric power, while Director U Victor of Construction Group 4 of the ID reports on construction of the diaphragm wall of the dam. The earth dam will be 4,745 feet long and 165 feet high. It is situated on Nayyinsara Creek, [which empties into the Myittha river near Kalaymyo]. Water storage capacity at full brim will be 52,000 acre feet. It will be able to supply water to 6,500 acres. Two Kaplan-type turbines installed at the dam will generate 21 million kwh annually. Topographic map reference: Burma 1:250,000: Series U542, U.S. Army Map: NF 46-03: Mawlaik Yazagyo [23° 30' N, 94° 06' E] and the Nayyinsara creek, can be seen in grid square reference: 34\5, 30\0. http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ams/burma/txu-oclc-6924198-nf46-3.jpg Additional references NLM, 19/01/12. Edited. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs12/NLM2012-01-19.pdf Myanmar V-P Tin Aung Myint Oo and party visit the construction site of the Yasagyo multi-purpose dam project on Nerinzara Creek, two miles north of Yasagyo village in Kalay township. The V-P says that construction of the irrigation facility can be completed earlier than hydropower generation facility and in this case, channels are to be constructed first so that irrigation water can be provided as soon as the dam is completed. He notes that the Kalay region serves as the rice bowl of Chin State and the Naga and Hpakhant regions and that triple cropping could be applied to over 8500 acres of farmland once the area around the dam has access to irrigation. The electricity potential of the project could also serve to partially satisfy demand in the region, he notes. [A photo of the dam site is included in the print edition of NLM.] NLM, 31/08/11. Edited. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs11/NLM2011-08-31.pdf U Thein Hlaing, Sagaing Constituency-8 member of the Amyotha Hluttaw, asked in the session on 30/08/11 when the Yazagyo multi-purpose dam project launched in 2005 would be completed. He said farmers needed the water for double and triple cropping patterns and that the Yazagyo area would benefit from the four megawatts of electricity produced. A&I Minister Myint Hlaing replied that pre-engineering works, a feasibility study and groundwork were launched in 2003-2004; and that presently the project was 35pc complete. Plans are underway to import the necessary hydropower equipment and when it is received, the project will be resumed with added momentum using ministry-owned machinery and vehicles along with entrepreneurs. The project is due to be completed by FY 2013- 2014. NLM, 21/10/10. Edited and condensed . http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs09/NLM2010-10-21.pdf Work on the diaphragm of the Yazagyo dam on Nerinzara Creek, which was started in 2004, was completed in October 2010. There is an inflow of 244,780 acre-feet from the Khamauk and Talon hills of the Chin mountain range into the creek. The dam will be able to store 80,000 acre-feet and has has a watershed area of 130 square miles. Altogether the embankments will be 13,690 feet long including the 4745-foot-long main embankment. There are three saddle dikes. The concrete spillway, which will 330 feet wide and 568 feet long, is under construction on saddle dike no. 3. The hydropower plant will be built on saddle dyke no.1. Plans call for the intake structure of the power plant to be completed in 2010-11. The steel penstocks will be 1562 feet long. Two 2-MW generators will be installed in the powerhouse in 2011-12. The power will be supplied to Kalay. Although Kalay township receives 63 inches of rainfall annually, but is dry in the summer. The dam will irrigate 2000 acres in 2010-11 and 4500 acres 2011-12. It will be used to cultivate summer paddy. [Aerial photos of the dikes are included in the print edition of NLM.] NLM, 06/02/10. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs08/NLM2010-02-06.pdf PM Thein Sein visits the project site of Razagyo multipurpose dam project on Nerinzara Creek, two miles north of Razagyo village in Kalay township. The dam will be able to store a maximum of 52,000 acre-feet of water. The earthen embankment will be 4745 feet long and 165 feet high. The main embankment will be 13,690 feet long and three saddle dikes, 8,945 feet long. The main canal will be nine miles long and the tributary canals, 8.25 miles long. The dam will have 80 canal structures and will irrigate 6500 acres of farmland. A 4-MW generator at the dam is expected to produce 21 million kwh annually. [An aerial view of the Razagyo dam project is included in the print edtion of NLM.] NLM, 11/09/09. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs07/NLM2009-09-11.pdf On a tour of Kalay township, Lt- Gen Tha Aye of the MoD looks into work being carried out on Kongyaw and Tanngyaw dams, mentioned as being part of the of Yazagyo multi-purpose dam project. NLM, 04/02/08. http://myanmargeneva.org/NLM2008/eng/2Feb/n080204.pdf Work on the spillway is underway. [A photo on the first page of the print edition of NLM shows the site where extensive land clearing operations have taken place.] NLM, 29/11/05. http://burmalibrary.org/docs2/NLM2005-11-29.pdf PM Soe Win visits the site of the Yazagyo dam. It is reported that it will benefit 6,500 acres and that the power plant at the site will have a generating capacity of four megawatts. After hearing the target date for completion of the facility, the PM gives instructions on full power supply in the rainy season, full irrigation water supply for monsoon and summer crops cultivation and efficient use of water from the spillway. [A photo of earth work being carried out at the site is included on the back page of the print edition of NLM.] NLM, 07/12/02. http://myanmargeneva.org/02nlm/n021207.htm On a visit to Kalaymyo, Gen Than Shwe is briefed by A&IM Nyunt Tin and EPM Tin Htut on the Yazagyo dam project and its hydel power generation potential. The Myaungchaung (Kyawywa) dam project, which is intended to irrigate farmland, is also reported on. In his guidance the senior general stresses that "survey work is to be conducted as to how much electricity will be produced by the Yazagyo dam project”. It will be necessary to implement the two projects at the same time, he says. Yazagyo dam will be built on Nayrinsara creek about two miles north of Yazagyo village in Kale township. Myaungchaung (Kyawywa) dam will be constructed on Myaunchaung creek about four miles north-west of Kyawywa village in Kale township. On completion, it will irrigate 6,500 acres of farmland in the region. ================================================================================== TRIBE'S HOME TO BE A VALLEY OF THE DAMMED Richard Lloyd Parry, The Times of London, 22/03/06 [Abridged]. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article743880.ece Even in the dry season, and even in this time of war and uncertainty, the Salween River is a majestic waterway. It runs 1,900 miles (3,060 km) from the high Tibetan mountains to the Gulf of Martaban, and along its great length there are few places more remarkable than Weigyi, on the border of Burma and Thailand. Here the god of the Salween shows himself in the form of a notorious whirlpool that churns the waters and can even drag a boat under. Locals leave offerings of rice, flowers and bananas to appease the deity and to thank him for the prosperity he brings. But now ominous signs have appeared, signs that promise disaster for the people of the Salween and their god. They come in the form of yellow marks painted on the rocky banks and a concrete plaque laid by Thai engineers. If their plans go ahead Weigyi will be transformed from a jungle shrine into a massive hydroelectric dam. The rocky cliffs will be replaced by concrete walls and throbbing turbines. The jungle will be penetrated by rumbling roads and high security fences. Five dams are jointly planned by the Thai and Burmese Governments; far upstream China proposes building 13 more. If only a few go ahead, the Salween, the longest undammed river left in south-east Asia, will be chained. Conscious of the potential for bad publicity, the Thai and Burmese governments have kept secret their precise plans for dam building. But The Times has obtained a copy of the MoU between them last December. “As long as I have lived here my family has been totally dependent on the Salween for our livelihood,” says Htoo Lwee, a member of the Karen ethnic group that lives in the village of Hoekey, a few miles below the proposed dam site at Weigyi. “The river gives us a living from fishing and from boating. It is our life and our mother. If the dam is constructed we will not be able to live.” The Salween is home to 70 species of fish including catfish, eel, featherback and carp who thrive in its surging rapids and deep pools. The dam would create a still-water lake to which they are ill-adapted. The dam’s opponents calculate that the reservoir will be 640 sq km — the size of Singapore. It will destroy rice paddies, vegetable fields, 26 villages and two entire towns. Temples and palaces will be submerged; 22,000 people will lose their homes and 8,000 more will lose their livelihoods. It will destroy forever the towns of Pasaung and Bawlake, the historical capital of the Karenni people, and the site of royal palaces and Buddhist temples and stupas (holy sites). The traditional homelands of one entire tribe, the dwindling Yintalai, who number just 1,000, will disappear. The river’s backed-up waters will flood rice fields and the garden plots of beans, tobacco, and chilli with which families support themselves during the dry season. It will block what locals refer to as the “Salween highway”, and the trading boats which carry rattan, honey and buffalo from the Karen and Karenni territories across the river to Thailand. Still worse, in the eyes of many of the locals, the dam project will draw into the area the notorious armed forces of the Burmese junta, which have been enslaving, raping and killing the local tribespeople for decades. “These dams will not only spell the gradual genocide of indigenous peoples, but will also inflict a death sentence on endangered animal plant and plant species,” says Pascal Khoo Thwe, author of the acclaimed memoir of his Burmese childhood From the Land of Green Ghosts. “There is no better way to destroy a country than by the combined power of guns and bulldozers. Show me a cup of dam water and I will tell you stories of human misery, and cries of dying animals and plants.” This is one of the most isolated and chaotic corners of Asia, a place of guerrillas and refugees, where no government holds sway. The tribespeople of eastern Burma, particularly the Karen and the Karenni, have always resisted government by the rulers in Burmese capital, Rangoon, whether they be British imperialists or their successors, the generals of the military junta called the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). Karen armed groups have fought a scrappy war against the Burmese since independence 58 years ago but have recently found themselves driven into an ever-narrower strip along the Thai border to where tens of thousands have fled the fighting. It is in one of these pockets, a sanctuary from the depredations of the SPDC, that the Weigyi dam will be built. When an earlier dam was built on the Baluchaung river in the 1960s, 24 Burmese battalions moved into the area. Human rights groups have gathered numerous accounts of the rapes, forced labour and arbitrary killings and arrests that were inflicted upon the local Karenni population. Among the biggest victims were members of the Padaung tribe, famous for the “long neck” women who stretch their necks with brass rings. Numerous local people were killed or injured by landmines scattered as a security measure in the fields around the dams. But despite the energy generated by the hydroelectric plant, villages lying literally underneath the power lines received no electricity. “Instead of getting benefits from the dam, we will have only curses,” says Seem Wen, a local village head and a major in the Karen National Liberation Army. “Human rights abuses, forced labour, killings. There will be many more refugees. If the dam is built, we will definitely show a military response.” But it is not only the Burmese junta, one of the world’s most cruel and obdurate regimes that will benefit from the dam. The 5,000 megawatts of electricity generated will be channelled into the growing and energy-hungry towns of neighbouring Thailand. It is this that gives the anti-dam campaigners some hope. For, while the SPDC cheerfully flouts human rights with little apparent concern for the opinion of the outside world, Thailand is a lively democracy. “The SPDC does whatever it likes,” says Nay Thablay, of the organisation, Karen Rivers Watch. “But in Thailand are many people who sympathise with us and we must motivate them to put pressure on their own government.” The anti-dam campaigners are mobilising what few resources they have. A group of young people have formed a pop group, Salween Angels, and recorded songs protesting against the dam’s construction. Activists are sailing down the river, warning local communities and organising demonstrations. “Even if we cannot stop this,” says Htoo Lwee, “we have to try for the sake of our river.” But they are a few thousand stateless, almost voiceless, people against two powerful governments, and they are realistic about their chances of success. If the dam at Weigyi is stopped, it will be a triumph of local determination. If not, then the rest of the world may hardly notice that the turbulent, vigorous god of the Salween has been reduced to a placid pond. Topographic map references: Thailand 1:250,000: Series L509, U.S. Army Map: NE 47-06: Chiang Mai Weiggyi dam, just west of Hokki [18° 18' 49" N, 97° 34' 49" E], grid square reference: 20\2, 3\4 Dagwin dam, near Dagwin [18° 04' 07" N, 97° 40' 55" E], grid square reference: 19\9, 3\6
See below: 'The Weigyi dam: A great barrier and a way to safety' (KDRG: March 2006) 'Potential impacts of the Weigyi and Dagwin hydropower dams' (FER: June 2003) 'Power purchase deal between Thailand and Burma on the way' (Nation: 27/05/97) ‘Lawpita power plants and associated dams’ (Appendix 1)
Karenni Development Research Group, Dammed by Burma's Generals: The Karenni Experience with Hydropower Development From Lawpita to the Salween, March 2006, pp 53-66 [edited and abridged]. http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/reports/Damned_by_Burma%27s_Generals.pdf The proposed Weigyi dam is located at a large whirlpool in the Salween river in Papun district, Karen State, just across from the Mae Sariang district of Mae Hong Son province in Thailand. It has a proposed height of 168 meters [with maximum water level height (masl) of 220 m], and an estimated power capacity of 4,540 - 5,600 MW. Although the dam will be in Karen State, the greater part of the reservoir it will create lies in Karenni [Kayah) State. It will be at least ten times higher than Mobye dam and will flood many of the best lowland forests and agriculture lands in the state. Papun District in Karen State has been the site of repeated military offensives and anti-insurgency campaigns by the troops of Burma's military junta. Before 1992, there were only ten Burma Army garrisons in the district. Today there are fifty-four garrisons fortified with heavy artillery, including twelve along the banks of the Salween. Of 85 original villages in the area directly adjoining the sites of the Weigyi and Dagwin dams, only a quarter remain. Most of the villagers fled to Thailand leaving their fertile farmland lying fallow; however, 5,000 remain hiding in the jungle, facing severe food shortages and health problems. Roads to the planned dam sites have been built using forced labor, and landmines have been planted along the roads. It is these local residents who will who will suffer most from the impacts of these dams, in particular Shan, Karen, Karenni villagers and displaced persons who live in hiding alongside the river. They have not been given information, let alone consulted, as to how the projects will affect their lives. The expected flood area of the Weigyi dam will impact four of the seven townships in Karenni state, completely submerging 28 villages, including the entire towns of Pasaung and Bawlake. Many other villages in the flood area have been relocated over the years of civil conflict. Even so, based on surveys carried out by Karenni agencies, the current village population that will be directly impacted by the flood is conservatively estimated at 8,300. IDPs hiding in the flood zone are estimated at 13,500. The number of villagers either relocated or in hiding in in the Demawso and Ywathit areas who rely on paddy fields in the flood zone number 3,700. Refugees and migrants from the flood zone who have not been able to return home number approximately 8,400. Altogether, it is estimated that the flood zone will impact a total of 30,250 people. The valley that the Salween cuts through in eastern Karenni State provides fertile lowland farm fields for the majority of people living there. Wet rice (more productive than upland rice) is the primary crop, with sesame, corn, peanuts, peas, and chili also cultivated for subsistence as well as trade. As most people depend on mountain creeks during the rainy season, usually only one seasonal crop is planted. However, vegetable gardens along the fertile river banks are extensive in the dry season and fruit can be harvested from various types of trees throughout the year. Bawlake township, in particular, has well-established stands of mango and coconut trees, and plum trees spread naturally in abundance; it supplies coconut and plum juice to various towns. Mae Set township is well-known for its high yields of paddy and sesame compared to other areas. Due to Karenni state’s mountainous terrain, there are few other areas that are suitable for wet paddy production and lowland agriculture in the state. Most of these areas lie within the flood zone of the proposed Weigyi dam. Given the Lawpita experience, it is highly unlikely that any compensation will be offered for this devastation and it is not clear where, or if, residents will be able to find new farm lands. The transformation of the Salween and Pawn from fast flowing rivers with seasonal changes to large reservoirs will have negative impacts on fish migrations and spawning, and ultimately on fish populations and species diversity. Residents in all of the affected areas by the flooding depend on fishing to provide protein in their diet and some rely on it to supplement their incomes. Virtually all the residents along the Pawn river (that will also be affected by the flood waters) fish, as dry and wet farming cannot fully address their subsistence needs. Since modern fishing means are out of reach, their gear consists mainly of hook and line, round loaded nets, and conical nets. They sell their catch to surrounding villages or to such towns as Loikaw, Demawso and Pruso, or have it dried for kitchen use. They save the money they earn to buy clothing, pay for their children’s schooling, or for emergency needs. Some barter for other goods. The Pawn river serves as the habitat of many species of valuable fish such as catfish, long-finned eel, spiny eel, featherback, carp, Hamilton’s carp, fork-tailed catfish, and snakehead. These fish come up from the Salween to nest and hatch in the Pawn. There has been almost no research done on the number of fish species and habitats in the Pawn and Salween in Karenni State due to the unstable situation there. However, a recent study by Thai-Karen villagers on the Salween and its tributaries in Mae Hong Son province in Thailand found 70 different fish species. The study also found 18 different ecological systems, including rapids, different fish habitats, and beaches, just on the stretch of the Salween that borders Thailand and Burma alone. Local villagers along the Pawn River in Karenni State describe a similar diversity. There are hundreds of small caves and specialized habitats for fish in the Pawn near Bawlake. This area will be flooded, filling in the caves and destroying unique habitats. Karenni people rely on forests for a large part of their livelihood. The forests provide sufficient fuel and construction materials for homes, countless varieties of wild fruits, vegetables and mushrooms, and seasonally edible products for humans and animals, biomass for fertilizing lowland farms, non-timber forest products for income generation, animals for meat, and herbal medicines for health -- to name but a few. Before most of Shadaw township was relocated to military sites, local residents there traded rattan, resin, honey, wax, stick lac, thanaka, and manufactured medicinal herbal plants for tonic uses and for curing malaria. The forests are an integral part of villagers’ lives and livelihoods, but large swathes of forests will be flooded and destroyed by the reservoir. Most Karenni men go on a week-long hunting trip just before the rice harvest in order to have meat at the time of harvest. Usually they travel by boat down the river and up side streams in groups of about five. They bring fishing nets to get fish during the day; in the evenings they hunt frogs and wild animals. Of the larger animals, wild pigs and deer are commonly hunted. The group then preserves their catch: fish is made into paste and dried; meat is also dried or cured in salt. They then store everything in bamboo and divide it equally. Frogs are kept alive in cages and sold for income, as well as any surplus meat. During the rest of the year, most people are struggling with their farms and only hunt smaller animals nearby their paddy fields. No full-scale studies have been carried out of the forests along the Salween in Karenni State. It is certain, though, that all the remaining forests in the flood area, including important habitats for wild animals and birds, will be permanently destroyed by inundation. The entire reservoir area lies within an ecoregion of outstanding biodiversity. This potential will never be fully understood or realized once the forests lie under water. In addition to the primary effect of destroying hundreds of square kilometers of forests, many secondary effects will also impact forests that do not lie in the flood zone itself. An estimated 25,500 people currently relying on the land and forests in the flood zone will be displaced, causing encroachment into remaining forests. While lowland areas can support a larger number of people on smaller areas of land, upland areas (those that will be left for settlement after the flood) are not as productive. Therefore, in order to sustain the same populations, more land than is currently under cultivation will be sought, land most probably in previously undisturbed forests. If history is a lesson, people will also seek safety deeper and deeper into forests, thus further disturbing a previous balance in the ecosystem. Forests will likely be cut in order to build roads for dam infrastructure and to replace old roads and trading routes that will be flooded. These roads will enable, and most probably stimulate, logging in previously unreachable areas, particularly as Karenni state is home to some of the last stands of mature teak in the world. Of the four main rivers navigable by motorized boats in Karenni -- the Salween, Pawn, Baluchaung, and Pai -- the Salween is the principal one used for trading. Most of the trade is small-scale and provides local farmers with a market for their products, especially in the absence of good roads. The town of Pasaung is an important crossroads and trading center for Karenni people. It is the focal point of transportation to Thailand through Mae Set, to the central plain of Toungoo, to Shan State via the Loikaw by-road, to Karen State and Shan State along the Salween, and to Thailand along the Pai River. The entire town, as well as Bawlake, another important center of economic activity, will be submerged under the reservoir. Mae Sam Laep, which lies in the Mae Sariang district of Mae Hong Son province in Thailand near the proposed Weigyi dam project, is a key center for trading cattle and goats, and local products such as onions, beans, sesame, dry chili and other dry goods from Burma, and commodities such as cooking oil, seasoning powder, household goods, clothing, medicines, and other consumer goods from Thailand. The Weigyi dam will cut off Mae Sam Lap from Karenni state, disrupting a generations-old trade route. Another trading center called Thakawhta on the Salween at the border of Karen and Karenni State, where local people trade homemade candles, will also be submerged. The Yintalai are a sub-group of the Kayah; their language is slightly different, and they have no written alphabet. Only about a thousand people from the Yintalai now remain. Their ancestral lands are in Pasaung and Bawlake townships and the flooding caused by the Weigyi dam would completely submerge their sacred land, cultural heritage, livelihood, homes, and forests. The Yintalai believe that there are spirits guarding the mountains, jungles, and big trees. These spirits are powerful, hence when cultivating farm plots, offerings and appeals are made for plentiful crops and less damages. The Yintalai are primarily devoted to farming, breeding livestock, and hunting for their livelihood; they occasionally turn to handicrafts. They settle in regions surrounded with rocks and boulders and, as the soil is infertile, only subsistence cultivation is possible. As irrigation is impossible, they rely on rain water for their farms and practice shifting cultivation. They fend for their living by selling products from the dry farms for extra income. As a people, they will proportionately suffer most from the impact of the Salween dams. Compiler’s Note: The pdf version of this report has many excellent pictures, maps and charts. Topographic map references: Thailand 1:250,000: Series L509, U.S. Army Map: NE 47-06: Chiang Mai Weiggyi dam, just west of Hokki [18° 18' 49" N, 97° 34' 49" E], grid square reference: 20\2, 3\4 Dagwin dam, near Dagwin [18° 04' 07" N, 97° 40' 55" E], grid square reference: 19\9, 3\6
See below: 'Potential impacts of the Weigyi and Dagwin hydropower dams' (FER: June 2003) 'Power purchase deal between Thailand and Burma on the way' (Nation: 27/05/97) ‘Lawpita power plants and associated dams’ (Appendix 1) -------------------------------------------------------- Saw Blaw Htoo et al, Khoe Kay: Biodiversity in Peril. (Chiang Mai, Karen Environmental and Social Action Network, July 2008). Page numbers cited below refer to the published edition. See also the online version available at http://www.salweenwatch.org/images/stories/downloads/brn/2008_009_24_khoekay.pdf This study documents an original piece of research into the biodiversity of Khoe Kay, a hilly, forested area of approximately 90 sq km in Burma adjacent to the “big bend” of the Salween River. Researchers from the Karen Environmental and Social Network found that “Khoe Kay is studded with plant and animal diversity”. Forty-two of the 194 plant species and 200 animals identified are considered endangered, while endemic and unknown species are also represented. The authors fear that threats posed by the construction of the Weigyi hydropower dam “may seriously degrade” the rich biodiversity they have documented. They argue persuasively that dam planning not only of the Weigyi but also of other dams along the Salween should not proceed “until more complete studies of the area[s involved] are completed.” (p.71) This report is abundantly illustrated, documented and accompanied by numerous maps and diagrams. The Khoe Kay region on the Burmese side and the adjacent Salween Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand are the site of one of the larger dams planned for the Salween. “The Weigyi dam would stand 220 meters high, cost US$ 3 billion, rated at 4500 megawatts and create a reservoir as large as 1000 sq km. The planning process for this dam and hydropower station, to be built by Thailand on Burmese territory with Chinese capital is shrouded in secrecy, but initial steps have been taken. . . . Thailand’s Salween Wildlife Sanctuary has [already] allowed the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) to build an initial access road through the heart of the sanctuary to the dam site on the river bank. . . . Plans call for this road to be upgraded to a multi-lane highway for large trucks. The forest will be cut down, and the land will be torn apart and submerged underwater.” (p.9) “There [can be] no doubt that dam construction and operation [on the Salween will] have a largely negative effect on biodiversity [in the region]. There are at least 5 dams proposed for the Salween in Burma with Khoe Kay situated between the proposed locations of the Wei Gyi and Dagwin dams. Given the flourishing biodiversity currently found in both the river and the surrounding mountains, proceeding with dam construction without appropriate analysis will likely predicate a decline in Khoe Kay’s ecosystems. Unfortunately, the impacts of these dams have not been analyzed in an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) prior to the start of construction. Some efforts at EIA preparation have been indicated, but there has been no comprehensive effort that includes public preparation.” (p.61) Citing a study by the World Commission on Dams (WCD) [Dams and Development: A New Framework for Decision-Making, November, 2000] Yüklə 12,31 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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