This report presents findings regarding impacts from the Nam Theun 2 Dam on the water
quality of the Xe Bang Fai (XBF) River. The water quality of the XBF River from Mahaxay
District to the Mekong River is worsening, and this affects local people along the river banks as
the hydroelectric dam on the Nakai Plateau releases water into the river.
The Nam Theun Power Company (NTPC) produces electricity to sell to Thailand from the
release of water from the Nam Then 2 reservoir into the XBF River at Mahaxay District via a 27
Km channel1. The reservoir is located on the Nakai Plateau and covers 450km2. When the NTPC
built the Nam Theun 2 Dam, the biodiversity of the area was lost and the forest destroyed.
Nowadays everything in the river is changing negatively. It is difficult for the local people to
live because they cannot find good water for using and drinking every day, especially in the dry
season when the water in the river is not clean. After interviewing the village people, it was found
that when local people take a bath, touch or catch fish in the river, they get a form of eczema or
skin rash due to the poor water quality.