The Prime Minister has asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade tore-consider the development plans of hydro-power projects No 6 and 6Aand others along the Dong Nai River.
Therequest is part of a document giving the PM's response to a petition bythe Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) on thenegative impacts these projects would have on the Dong Nai RiverBasin.
In an environmental impact assessment sent to theGovernment Office in early September, MoNRE asked the Government toconduct a comprehensive examination of the Dong Nai hydro-power projectsNo 6 and 6A, saying that many issues still must be clarified.
The ministry made its suggestions after sending its report to theGovernment Office about the proposed investment by Duc Long Co.
The MoNRE said the two hydro-power projects will remove 372.23 ha offorests, including 128.37 ha of land in Cat Loc, a core zone under theCat Tien National Park.
In its environmental impactreport, Duc Long pledged to afforest the area, but the investor's reportdid not show the area and it did not map out plans for afforestation.
Duc Long's environmental impact report also neglected to mention theestimated losses of biological diversity in the Cat Tien NationalPark and other losses to ecological systems in the region.
Measures to be taken to minimise the impact on biological diversity were not feasible, according to the ministry report.
The report said no measures were taken to protect and preserve faunaand flora while the negative impact on stream flows in the lower sectionwill affect the ecological systems, water levels and the areas of swampin Bau Sau Ramsar.
In addition, these hydro-power projects will also pose other disadvantages.
Work on related support facilities such as transmission lines androads to support the implementation of these projects will have anegative impact on the environment and socio-economic conditions. Thiswill also affect the Nam Cat Tien National Park .
Theprojects could adversely affect the subsistence of local residents whoearn their living from farming, aquaculture and fisheries on the lowersections, and thus cause disadvantages for the Nam Cat TienNational Park 's application for World Heritage status.
Based onthese assessments, the Ministry of Resources and Environment petitionedthe Prime Minister to urge the Ministry of Industry and Trade toreconsider the master plan for development of the hydro-power projectsNo 6 and 6A as well as all other hydro-power projects in the Dong NaiRiver Basin.-VNA