Cambodia’s deputy minister of energy, Ith Praing , said: “It is a very sensitive issue and too early to publish any kind of information on Sambor.” A plan to build Cambodia’s biggest dam has raised fears of a catastrophic effect on the Mekong river, which provides food security to 60 million people. A leaked report by a US consultancy found the proposed 18 km-wide Chinese-backed barrier and 82 km-long reservoir on a site vital to the fishing industry in Cambodia could "literally kill" the Mekong. The dam, called Xayaburi 2, would be built at an altitude of 1,200m above sea level near the town of Preah Vihear, about 150km from Phnom Penh. Opposition to the original plan for the dam persuaded the China Southern Power Grid to abandon the proposal, but Cambodia’s serious energy shortage has prompted its revival.
A plan to build Cambodia’s biggest dam has raised fears of a catastrophic effect on the Mekong river, which provides food security to 60 million people. A leaked report by a US consultancy found the proposed 18 km-wide Chinese-backed barrier and 82 km-long reservoir on a site vital to the fishing industry in Cambodia could "literally kill" the Mekong. The dam, called Xayaburi 2, would be built at an altitude of 1,200m above sea level near the town of Preah Vihear, about 150km from Phnom Penh. Opposition to the original plan for the dam persuaded the China Southern Power Grid to abandon the proposal, but Cambodia’s serious energy shortage has prompted its revival.