28 February 2020

Construction work on a railway project linking Laos with China is filling a creek in Vientiane province and other local waterways with waste released by the boring of tunnels, polluting the water and harming the livelihoods of local residents, sources in Laos say.

Water in the Houay Pamom Creek in the area of the Vang Vieng district's Phahom village, though normally clear, has now been murky and clouded since Feb. 22, local villagers and restaurant owners told RFA's Lao Service in recent interviews.

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Meanwhile, another Nam Xong tributary—the Nam Lik River—was polluted more than a week ago by waste released from the construction of another railway tunnel, with the run-off killing nearly 50 kilograms of fish and harming local livelihoods....

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Apart from the environmental impact of the U.S. $6 billion Lao-China railway, whose construction began in December 2016 as part of a longer rail line that will link China to mainland Southeast Asia, the project is forcing the relocation of upwards of 4,400 families in Laos.

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Many Lao villagers forced to relocate because of construction on the railway are still waiting for compensation from the government, however, while others who have not received payment say the payments are much lower than they had expected.

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