Rivers Watch East and Southeast Asia (RWESA)

Rivers Watch East and Southeast Asia (RWESA) is a network of NGOs and peoples' organizations from East and Southeast Asia - supported by their allies internationally - that was formed in July 2000. The network is to stop destructive river development projects in East and SE Asia and to restore rivers to the communities who depend on them. The network currently consists of around 35 organizations from East and Southeast Asia.

Home

OUR VOICES

RWESA members shared stories about the impacts of dams and their struggles against them at the recent RWESA General Meeting. Read the stories of RWESA members from Cambodia, China, Laos and Thailand.

Srepok EIA Workshop: 12 January 2007

NGO Forum on Cambodia, Culture-Environment Preservation Association and 3 S Rivers Protection Network

PRESS RELEASE
January 04, 2007

Cross Border Impacts of Vietnam’s Dams on the Srepok River
to be Publicly Reviewed at EIA Stakeholder Meeting in Cambodia

On Friday, 12 January 2007, northeast Cambodian villagers affected or threatened by Vietnamese hydropower development will attend a public meeting in Phnom Penh to discuss the social and environmental effects of Vietnam’s hydro dams on downstream Cambodian rivers and communities.

Indonesia dam-affected communities break the information blockade, welcome Japanese Diet members

About thousands victims’ people of the relocation of PLTA Koto Panjang were raised to the road. This action was pointed to welcome five Japanese parliament members who visited Kampar to see directly the condition of the victims who claimed Japanese Government. Download the statement (PDF) Download the action chronology (PDF)
Read more...

Sesan River Fisheries Monitoring in Ratanakiri Province, Northeast Cambodia

Compiled by Ian G. Baird and Meach Mean

Considering the past downstream impacts of the Yali Falls dam, and the future impacts of other dams planned for the Sesan River basin in Viet Nam, it is necessary to understand more about the fish and fisheries in the basin in order to assess the environmental and social impacts of future dam developments upriver.

The purpose of this report is to present the quantitative and qualitative results of a study conducted in Ratanakiri province regarding fisheries in the Sesan River. This study considers both the present status of fisheries in the Sesan River in Ratanakiri province and assesses the downstream impacts of the Yali Falls and other dams on fish and fisheries. [download full report (PDF, 2.7MB)]

Lessons learned but not learned: Water Governance in the 3 S Rivers Region

By Kim Sangha and Tep Bunnarith

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. 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... [download full report (PDF)]

Sai Bunlamb, villager from Ta Lao village, Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia

"At the early stages of the Yali Falls dam construction, people living on the Sesan River didn't know a dam was being built upstream. People used to be very happy. They were able to catch fish from many places – around the river pools fish were easy to catch. At first, my community didn't know why the flooding happened – the water flooded our rice fields destroying our rice. When we returned to our village after the flooding, we saw that our chickens were washed away. Villagers are scared now of the water fluctuations. Many people have moved away. The vegetable gardens on the river banks have been badly affected."