{"id":20082028,"date":"2022-01-19T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-19T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thethirdpole.net\/?post_type=photo_story&p=82028"},"modified":"2024-07-25T14:37:45","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T13:37:45","slug":"communities-in-dark-over-yuam-river-diversion-impacts-thailand","status":"publish","type":"photo_story","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/communities-in-dark-over-yuam-river-diversion-impacts-thailand\/","title":{"rendered":"Communities in the dark over Yuam River diversion impacts in Thailand"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When he was young, Singkharn Ruenhom used to go fishing with his father along the Yuam River on Thailand\u2019s northwestern border with Myanmar. Years later, he fished on the river with his own sons. Now he worries his grandchildren might not get to do the same. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many in communities across Mae Hong Son, Tak and Chiang Mai provinces, Ruenhom is concerned about his home and heritage. In September 2021, a project was approved<\/a> that will divert an average of 1,795 cubic metres of water annually to irrigate the central plains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Thongchai<\/div>
Thongchai Leawpichaipaibul, who owns a shop in Mae Ngao village, studies a map of the proposed tunnel, which will take water from the Yuam River roughly 62 kilometres east through mountainous terrain to the Ping River. Marked on the left side of the map, Mae Ngao is set to be the location of a large pumping station at the start of the tunnel. (Image: Luke Duggleby<\/a> \/ The Third Pole)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t tell us about what impacts there\u2019d be,\u201d said Ekachai Jamonjarudet, a resident of another village affected by the project in Omkoi district, Chiang Mai. \u201cThey told us not to worry because they\u2019ll compensate us or find new land for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The long game<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First conceived in the early 1990s by the Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency and the Ministry of Energy, the large-scale \u201cBhumibol Reservoir Inflow Augmentation Project\u201d \u2013 more commonly referred to as the Yuam River Diversion Project \u2013 was estimated to cost around 70 billion baht (USD 2.1 million) and take seven years to build. The high cost of the project meant it was put on hold until 2016, when it was revived by the Royal Irrigation Department with claims a Chinese developer would take it on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Weerakorn Khamprakorb<\/a>, an MP and deputy chair of a commission to study holistic water management, last year a Chinese state enterprise called Norinco International \u2013 a subsidiary of Norinco Group, one of China\u2019s leading weapons manufacturers \u2013 offered to deliver the project for just 40 billion baht (USD 1.9 billion) in four years. Other than Khamprakorb\u2019s statement, there have been no official documents to confirm the identity of investors and contractors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Prayot<\/div>
Prayot Kuenkaew, a resident of Mae Ngao village, jumps between rocks after scoping out a fishing spot on the Yuam River. Just a few kilometres upstream of the proposed site of the diversion project\u2019s dam, this part of the river and the surrounding forests will be flooded once it is built. (Image: Luke Duggleby<\/a> \/ The Third Pole)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The project will be the first to dam this tributary of the Salween, one of the last free-flowing rivers left in the world. On Myanmar\u2019s side of the border, the Salween faces a number of potential mainstream hydropower projects; Chinese companies are involved in the construction or development of most of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting in Mae Ngao village in Mae Hong Son province, six water pumping stations and filtering systems will be built on the land where Ruenhom and his neighbours live. These will pull water up from a reservoir created by a 70-metre-high dam about 14 kilometres from the Myanmar border. From there, water will flow into an eight-metre-wide tunnel that descends 600 metres underground for almost 62 kilometres until it reaches Chiang Mai\u2019s Hot district where it will flow into the Ping River, a tributary of the Chao Phraya. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Prayot<\/div>
Kuenkaew uses traps to catch shrimp in small streams running into the Yuam. The diversion project is likely to have significant impacts on the river\u2019s ecosystem, which has yet to be studied in depth but is thought to be as rich in biodiversity as the Salween River into which it flows. (Image: Luke Duggleby<\/a> \/ The Third Pole)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Walking along the banks, Ruenhom described the species that used to live in the cracks and crevices of this part of the Yuam, and the seasonal ecosystem he has witnessed in his many years here: the drought and flash floods, the wildlife. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCity people overlook it,\u201d Ruenhom said. \u201cWhen they see the river they simply see water, but there\u2019s much more than that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The diversion: Public scrutiny and the Yuam<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The project cuts through five national forest reserves and the forthcoming Mae Ngao National Park<\/a>. It will clear a total of 582 hectares of forest, 206 of which are classified as crucial for ensuring the continuity of the watershed<\/a>. Construction materials and the debris from creating the tunnel will be dumped in six mounds along the way, covering 71 hectares, most of which are the ancestral lands of indigenous communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/div>
Located just a few kilometres upstream of the proposed site of the diversion project\u2019s dam, this household in Mae Ngao village is one of several that will need to be relocated if construction goes ahead (Image: Luke Duggleby<\/a> \/ The Third Pole)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

An Environmental Impact Assessment<\/a> (EIA) in 2006 claimed the project will only affect 21 households and the farmland of four other households. But at least 46 villages will be directly affected, not including others who depend on the Salween watershed for their livelihoods, according to Pianporn Deetes, Thailand and Myanmar campaigns director for International Rivers<\/a>, an NGO. In Sop Moei district alone, at least 74 households in Mae Ngao village and nine in Tha Ruer village will be forced to evacuate to clear a path for the dam and water pumping stations, according to the People\u2019s Network of Yuam, Ngao, Moei and Salween River Basins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"Mae<\/div>
Located midway along the route of the proposed tunnel, the remote village of Mae Sor Tai is set to become a dumpsite for excavated earth (Image: Luke Duggleby<\/a> \/ The Third Pole)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"An<\/div>
A protest sign against the tunnel in Mae Sor Tai village, where farmland will be covered in dumped debris (Image: Luke Duggleby<\/a> \/ The Third Pole)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

For months, controversy has been surging around the project and local people\u2019s engagement in the approval process, with accusations of misrepresentation and lying about local participation. Rather than information on potential risks, officials have emphasised its benefits. These include: an annual average of 300 million cubic metres of water for consumption; about 462 million kilowatt\/hours of electricity generated; revenue of USD 18,585 from fisheries and USD 142,679 from tourism annually; and 257,604 additional hectares of arable land in the Central region during drought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe village headman\u2019s photo is in the EIA and he doesn\u2019t even know it,\u201d said Phibul Tuwamonton, chair of the Omkoi Indigenous Peoples\u2019 Network, who has been spreading awareness about the project\u2019s impacts to affected communities throughout the past year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t even know what an EIA was,\u201d confirms Phooso Chamoncarumat, headman of Mae Sor Tai, a village due to become a dumpsite for debris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Phibul<\/div>
Phibul Tuwamonton, chair of the Omkoi Indigenous Peoples\u2019 Network, has been working to raise awareness of the diversion project\u2019s impacts in communities like Mae Sor Tai (Image: Luke Duggleby<\/a> \/ The Third Pole)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There were public hearings on the project. But they were held during the Covid-19 pandemic and the rainy season, posing difficulties for remote communities who needed to travel to attend. Gatherings in large groups were also problematic. Despite most of the affected households being Karen speakers, no translations in Karen were provided in the documents and meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause many lack citizenship, they are afraid to come out and protest against the project despite receiving the full impacts,\u201d said Sor Rattanamanee Polkla, executive coordinator and co-founder of the Community Resource Centre Foundation<\/a>, an NGO, adding that if they protest they might be prosecuted for other reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Royal Irrigation Department and Naresuan University conducted the surveys for the EIA. Both declined to comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"A<\/div>
Many residents of Mae Sor Tai and its sister village of Mae Sor Nua are now against the project, but the remoteness of these communities has limited their engagement in decision-making processes (Image: Luke Duggleby<\/a> \/ The Third Pole)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Poor<\/div>
The poor quality of local roads makes travel difficult, especially in the wet season. Residents are unlikely to be able to attend important meetings, and visits from officials are rare. (Image: Luke Duggleby<\/a> \/ The Third Pole)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ecology on the edge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While there is little in-depth research about the Yuam\u2019s ecology, the Salween watershed is known to be a vital habitat and spawning ground for more than 200 fish species<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Damming the Yuam will reduce the oxygen that is crucial to river life and, as sediment becomes trapped, many species\u2019 food sources will disappear. Even more alarming, the project will connect the watersheds of the Salween and Chao Phraya, two separate river systems with different freshwater species and conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"Singhkan<\/div>
Singkharn Ruenhom, whose father founded Mae Ngao village, stands by the Yuam River near the start of the proposed tunnel (Image: Luke Duggleby<\/a> \/ The Third Pole)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Wanchai<\/div>
Sixty-two kilometres to the east, Wanchai Srinuan, community leader of Mae Ngood, stands at the exact point the tunnel will end, just below his village (Image: Luke Duggleby<\/a> \/ The Third Pole)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like moving fish from one ocean to the other,\u201d said Sitang Pilailar, a lecturer at the Water Resources Engineering Department at Kasetsart University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With only seven fish species known to be common to both basins, experts have expressed concerns about non-native invasions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf one organism disappears, this could affect hundreds of other organisms,\u201d said Aphinun Suvarnaraksha from Maejo University\u2019s Faculty of Fisheries Technology and Aquatic Resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Forest<\/div>
Nearly 600 hectares of forest will be cleared to make way for the diversion project, which will cross the remote and mountainous district of Omkoi (Image: Luke Duggleby<\/a> \/ The Third Pole)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"A<\/div>
A farmer carries yams she has harvested in Omkoi district, which is midway along the proposed route of the tunnel (Image: Luke Duggleby<\/a> \/ The Third Pole)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"A<\/div>
Farmers harvest chillies in Omkoi district, where they practice a traditional multi-crop field rotation system\u00a0(Image: Luke Duggleby \/ The Third Pole)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Communities living along the Yuam will not only bear the impacts of the decline in fish stocks, but also the loss of arable land and potentially exacerbated floods and landslides. The project will be built along active tectonic plates and could lead to a high risk of earthquakes, though this concern is only briefly mentioned in the EIA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf this project happens, I think there will be many people who will need to take antidepressants,\u201d said Sakchai Yemu, who lives in Hot district, Chiang Mai, expressing fear for communities\u2019 mental health. Yemu\u2019s farmland is another due to become a debris dumpsite. \u201cFrom earning [USD 6,000-9,000] a year, they\u2019ll have nothing left.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mae<\/div>
\u200b\u200bAlmost every family in the village of Mae Ngood grows longan. Situated near the end of the proposed tunnel in Chiang Mai\u2019s Hot district, these orchards rely on water from the local river. The farmers worry the diversion project will either flood the area or change the course of the existing river, negatively impacting their livelihoods. (Image: Luke Duggleby<\/a> \/ The Third Pole)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In 1964, the Bhumibol Dam was completed in Tak province, downstream from Yemu\u2019s community. Since then floods have been exacerbated, carrying away nutrients and trapping sediment on the once-fertile fields where he used to grow rice. For the 1.6 hectares of arable land he lost, he was given a one-off compensation payment of around USD 13,000. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith that money, how many days or years can you use it?\u201d said Mueda Nawanat, a member of another affected community in Sop Moei district, Mae Hong Son. \u201cWith the land they currently live on, they can live entirely without money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"To<\/div>
To construct the tunnel, this track near Mae Ngood village will have to be expanded to accommodate large trucks, cutting into farmland and forever altering the fabric of this small, rural community (Image: Luke Duggleby<\/a> \/ The Third Pole)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Communities resist Yuam River diversion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy do involved government departments not ever speak of getting communities who live in the forests to take care of the remaining forests?\u201d asked Thongchai Leawpichaipaibul, a member of the Mae Ngao community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though proposed mitigation measures are included in the EIA, experts doubt their viability and effectiveness. Measures such as fish ladders allow migration and electrical barriers prevent species invasion, but they lack research. Tourism, reforestation and seismic monitoring are unlikely to remedy the most acute social and ecological impacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Youth<\/div>
Youth leader Jindarat Rampaipanom, 20, is helping to raise awareness of the project in Omkoi district. Her village, midway along the proposed route of the tunnel, is set to become a dumping site for excavated earth \u2013 one of six along the way that will cover a total of 71 hectares. (Image: Luke Duggleby<\/a> \/ The Third Pole)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn one hand they\u2019re making merit and on the other they\u2019re sinning,\u201d said Deetes at International Rivers. \u201cThey\u2019re reforesting and reclaiming homelands from communities, but at the same time they\u2019re allowing mega-projects that exploit natural resources.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pilailar, the lecturer from Kasetsart University, is concerned about the potential impacts of climate change<\/a> on the 30-year-old project proposal and questioned its rationale, stating there are more cost-effective and socially and environmentally sensitive solutions to the area\u2019s water problems, such as reducing consumption, fixing leaks, improving management and restoring watersheds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"anti-dam<\/div>
An anti-dam slogan in Mae Ngao village near the Yuam River (Image: Luke Duggleby<\/a> \/ The Third Pole)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Civil society groups, including the Omkoi Indigenous Peoples\u2019 Network led by Phibul Tuwamonton, are now rushing to raise awareness among affected communities about the project and its impacts. They are mobilising against what they describe as false claims in the EIA and are suing the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning. The National Human Rights Commission also recently visited Mae Hong Son and Chiang Mai to meet community members and investigate complaints about the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo address water problems, you can\u2019t be short-sighted because it affects the entire basin and nearby basins,\u201d Pilailar said. \u201cThe directors need to change their mindset, open up and take in technical information from various disciplines, letting communities help solve these issues together.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2021 a 30-year-old project was revived, which will be the first to dam the Yuam River. Civil society groups are rushing to mobilise communities whose homes and livelihoods will be affected.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":20082059,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[764],"tags":[502,516,554,556,587],"country":[20029326],"class_list":["post-20082028","photo_story","type-photo_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nature","tag-activism","tag-civil-society","tag-hydropower","tag-infrastructure","tag-rivers","country-thailand"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCommunities in the dark over Yuam River diversion impacts in Thailand<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Civil society groups are rushing to mobilise communities whose homes and livelihoods will be affected by the revived Yuam River plan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/communities-in-dark-over-yuam-river-diversion-impacts-thailand\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Communities in the dark over Yuam River diversion impacts in Thailand\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Civil society groups are rushing to mobilise communities whose homes and livelihoods will be affected by the revived Yuam River plan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/communities-in-dark-over-yuam-river-diversion-impacts-thailand\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dialogue Earth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-07-25T13:37:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/20211218_Thailand-Yuam-River-diversion-Mae-Ngao-boat_LukeDuggleby_TheThirdPole.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/communities-in-dark-over-yuam-river-diversion-impacts-thailand\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/communities-in-dark-over-yuam-river-diversion-impacts-thailand\/\",\"name\":\"Communities in the dark over Yuam River diversion impacts in Thailand\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/communities-in-dark-over-yuam-river-diversion-impacts-thailand\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/communities-in-dark-over-yuam-river-diversion-impacts-thailand\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/20211218_Thailand-Yuam-River-diversion-Mae-Ngao-boat_LukeDuggleby_TheThirdPole.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-01-19T05:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-07-25T13:37:45+00:00\",\"description\":\"Civil society groups are rushing to mobilise communities whose homes and livelihoods will be affected by the revived Yuam River plan\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/communities-in-dark-over-yuam-river-diversion-impacts-thailand\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/communities-in-dark-over-yuam-river-diversion-impacts-thailand\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/communities-in-dark-over-yuam-river-diversion-impacts-thailand\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/20211218_Thailand-Yuam-River-diversion-Mae-Ngao-boat_LukeDuggleby_TheThirdPole.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/20211218_Thailand-Yuam-River-diversion-Mae-Ngao-boat_LukeDuggleby_TheThirdPole.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"Singhkan Ruenhom, who\u2019s father founded Mae Ngaw village, sits in a boat on the Yuam River. 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Located at the confluence of the Yuam and Ngaw rivers, Mae Ngaw village will be the location of a large pumping station and the start of the 62km long diversion tunnel. 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