Deal #6524

Lao-Tai groups constitute 42% of the 2,552 households living in Ban Xiengdet, 4 Peri-reservoir, 7 Downstream, and 17 Upstream Villages. Lao-Tai groups are not considered as ethnic minority groups since the Lao language is their native language and their traditions are part of the dominating Lao culture. Khmu represent 33 % (830 households) and Hmong 25% (643 households); both groups fall under the ADB definition of indigenous people. Xiengdet is the only village that needs to be resettled as part of the village area (residential area and some agricultural lands) will be periodically inundated by the reservoir. The main impacts are as follows: seasonal flooding of part of the village area., residential area, including fixed assets as houses, home gardens, pig pens, fruit trees, and chicken coops; seasonal and partial inundation of physical and cultural resources; seasonal flooding of part of paddy fields, agricultural land, vegetable gardens, fish ponds, banana orchards, and fruit trees; seasonal flooding of part of village area consisting of governmental land, potentially impacting cattle grazing, collection of Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs), and hunting wild life.

As of July 2011, there have been numerous public consultation and participation briefings, presentations and meetings, which have taken place at the local, regional and national levels.

Before the dam construction, a group of environmentalists commissioned to conduct an ADB-funded impact assessment study of the Nam Ngum 3 hydropower project expressed concerns about the impacts that the dam would have on water quality, fisheries and villagers' livelihoods. [Source: VOA]

Households located along the upgraded national road and the transmission line may lose housing and parcels of land. The developer relocated about 150 families who affected by the project development. IR also reported that the project would resettle 523 people within their village territory. Affecting at least 2,455 people downstream and unknown numbers upstream. [Source: International Rivers & Vietstock]

The original EIA filed in January 2011 had significant gaps. It failed to provide complete and accurate terrestrial and aquatic baseline data, the absence of which is problematic in the context of measuring the changing biodiversity due to the construction of the dam. [Source: Report on U.S. Position on AsDB’s Proposed Loan for Nam Ngum 3 dam]

Other: permanent houses, electricity,