Managing river conflict: a Canadian model

quote:

---

By Gráinne Ryder

Last year, Cambodian and Vietnamese authorities pledged to resolve dam-related environmental problems along the Se San River, a large Mekong tributary flowing from Vietnam's central highlands through northeast Cambodia. Likewise donor agencies declared their commitment to seeing the harmful effects of Se San dams mitigated. What is missing, however, is a structured approach for transforming that political will into practical results. Fortunately, one of North America's largest power utilities, BC Hydro, has pioneered such an approach for balancing power production with public demands for improved river health and more local control over decisions affecting rivers.

BC Hydro, like its Mekong counterparts, is state owned. Its main business is generating hydropower for sale to its 1.6 million customers. Unlike Mekong utilities, BC Hydro recognizes that rivers are more than megawatts, they are a shared resource demanding a negotiated approach to management-one that recognizes other river users and the many ecological functions rivers serve.

---