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An interview with author Ngo
The Vinh by Nguyen Ky Hung |
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NKH: You have visited the Mekong delta in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, and recently Yunnan in China. In your travels, did you see any prospect of co-operation among countries in the Lower Mekong Basin? NTV: During my field trip in Laos, I witnessed first hand the deterioration of the Mekong River, its being drained even when not in the dry season – a terrible occurrence, its rate faster than has been envisioned in the most pessimistic predictions. Then, during my trip to Cambodia, I observed the gradual narrowing of the Tonle Sap Lake and of flooded forests, and saw the establishment of an industrial complex on the banks of the Tonle Sap River which will be another source of pollution added to the volume of toxic waste flowing down from Yunnan. And recently I visited Yunnan where the Manwan Dam alone, with total capacity of 1,500 megawatts, was enough to change the face of the large southwest region of China which used to be underdeveloped. With Yunnan province, rich in iron-ore deposits, having been electrified, urbanized and industrialized, the lower reaches of the Mekong River have virtually become a sewer where toxic industrial waste from the upper reaches is dumped, and the Mekong delta in Vietnam at the end of the river suffers all the consequences. Truly, there is no easy solution for the rapid deterioration of the Mekong River. Because of the need for development of all countries, there can't be any talk about prohibiting or preventing plans for exploitation of its resources. But the issue here again is, In what way can one exploit the river without quickly exhausting its resources, without destroying it and causing harm to the lives of hundreds of million people living in the basin, and without in the long run transferring the damage to future generations? Therefore, it's necessary to have tight co-operation among all seven countries – I mean to refer to a MEKONG SPIRIT. But this is not at all possible when China still chooses to stand on the outside, declining to join the Mekong River Commission so as to freely do what it wants. As to co-operation and unity of the downstream countries, it's still no more than an aspiration; it's the case where they "lie on the same bed but have different dreams" so to speak, each exploiting the river in accordance with its own interests. When the crisis of trust has not been overcome, there can't be any hope for unity. Take the case of Vietnam: if we want to have support from the international community, we must strictly observe sustainable development strategies when exploiting natural resources of the Mekong River. An example can be cited in this connection. After Vietnam built the Yali Falls Dam in Gia Lai on the Sesan River, one of the largest tributaries of the Mekong River, there have been complaints and protest by Cambodian villagers in Ratanakiri province concerning flash floods and pollution of water attributed to operation of the dam. We can't have double standards in the matter of environmental protection, one applying to Vietnam and the other to her neighboring countries. We all have to cultivate mutual trust if co-operation and sustainable development for the whole sub-region are desired. As it is at present, disunity among downstream countries is exploited by Beijing to the utmost, each country under the illusion that it would benefit by collaborating with China on its own. NKH: Do you have any hope of seeing a solution or prospect of a solution of this problem during your lifetime? NTV: Your question itself connotes a "strategic" meaning. This is a difficult dilemma brought out not only for "our generation" to solve. The destruction of the Mekong River involves cumulative long-term effects, but that does not mean we cannot perceive them stage by stage, period by period. We can foresee a chain reaction in the future, naturally more and more serious each day: during the rainy season, floods will flow downstream earlier and more devastatingly; the dry season will witness more severe drought; saltwater will intrude deeper and deeper into the Mekong delta. There will no longer be fresh water fish and silt deposit; neither rice nor fruit will survive in saline fields; on top of that, mention should be made of pollution discharged from industrial areas of the upper reaches. Up into the first decade of the 21st century, we have not been able to see the light of a "potential solution" at the end of the tunnel because of passivity on the part of the governments of the downstream countries. Of course, there is no single solution for the ecology of a river. It has to involve fundamental and integrated transformation-and-change of all social systems, progressing from totalitarianism to democracy. Democracy means opportunities to improve people's standards of education and freedom of information exchange. And as a result millions of people living on the banks of the Mekong River will be well aware of the problem and voice their defense of the river that is their very lifeline.
To "Save the Mekong River" is a race against the clock,
because as proclaimed by SEA WORLD SAN DIEGO, "Extinction is
forever, Endangered means we still have time." That is a
line of words carrying deep meaning which I thoroughly
appreciate. |
