A local villager steers a boat where the future site of the Luang Prabang dam will be on the Mekong River. Photo: Reuters
A local villager steers a boat where the future site of the Luang Prabang dam will be on the Mekong River. Photo: Reuters
Laos

Laos’ Luang Prabang may lose Unesco status amid fears dam will cause ‘irreversible damage’

  • Geologists point out that the dam is in proximity to an active fault line in an earthquake-prone region of northern Laos
  • Critics are also concerned about the ‘authenticity and integrity’ of Luang Prabang, a Unesco World Heritage site, if the project proceeds

A local villager steers a boat where the future site of the Luang Prabang dam will be on the Mekong River. Photo: Reuters
A local villager steers a boat where the future site of the Luang Prabang dam will be on the Mekong River. Photo: Reuters

Corrected [2:46pm, 7 Mar, 2023]

  • [2:46pm, 7 Mar, 2023]

    This story was updated to amend quotes that were incorrectly attributed to Philip Hirsch, emeritus professor of geography at Sydney University and Thai seismologist Punya Churasiri.

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