Dr Oudom PHONEKHAMPHENG, Dean Fac. Ag., National University of Laos (NUOL)

Mr Douangkham SINGHANOUVONG, Deputy-Director, Living Aquatic Resource and Research Centre (LARReC), Ministry of Agriculture

and Forestry Lao PDR

Mr Garry Thorncraft, Research AssociateNUOL

Hanoi November 2013

CPWF MK 15 PresentationOptimising fish-friendly criteria for incorporation into the

design of mini-hydro schemes in the Lower Mekong Basin

Outline of talk:

Brief Background to Lao Fish Passage Team– 2008 to 2009 ACIAR Project No: FIS/2006/083 (upstream passage)– 2010 to 2015 ACIAR Project No: FIS/2009/041 (upstream passage)– 2013 ACIAR Project No: FIS/2011/072 (downstream)– 2014 to 2017 ACIAR Project: FIS/2012/100 (downstream passage)

2013 CPWF Project No: MK15 (downstream passage)– Mini-hydro development (low-head high-volume)– Barotrauma– Shear– Feasibility in Lao PDR– Guidelines (preliminary)

Lao Fish Passage Team Aims:

Support the Sustainable Development of Water Infrastructure in Lao PDR – By Helping Maintain both Upstream and Downstream Fish Passage Collaboration between LARReC and NUOL as lead research and

educational institutions in Lao PDR Assistance from international research partners including:

o NSW Dept. Primary Industries, Australiao QLD Dept. Primary Industries, Australiao Pacific Northwestern National Laboratories, USAo Individual Expert Consultancies as required.

Lao Fish Passage Project Objectives:

Improved understanding of technology to facilitate fish migrations on floodplains and inclusion of this information into tertiary education curriculum of NUOL.

Improved ability for Lao researchers and fisheries managers to understand and apply floodplain fish passage technology at the village, district and provincial level.

Improved local economies through increased fisheries' production where fish passage is considered

Improvement of floodplain fisheries diversity, abundance and sustainability wherever fish passage is considered in the lower Mekong Basin

LMB – approx 2.2 million tonnes per annum – food and hard income

About 2% of total world fish catch, 800 plus spp

Fish Beef Pork Chicken

kg/person/year kg/person/year kg/person/year kg/person/year

Lao PDR 29(48% animal

protein)

5 6 5

Cambodia 37(79% animal

protein)

2 3 2

Social and Economic Importance of fish

Importance of fish in sustenance diets

10,000 plus Barriers to fish migration below 10m in

height

Extent of Migration Barriers – Xe Bang HiengTotal PotentialBarriers in whole catchmentXe Bang Hieng =

2492

Streams = 2257

Wetlands = 193

Dams = 42

Barrier Survey and Prioritisation

Demonstration Fishway Construction

Socio-economic Assessment

Fishway Design Assessment

Cone fishways – Ongoing Assessment

Shear stress

Increasingpressure Rapid increase in vel.

& decrease pressure

Turbulentshear

Undershot configuration

Increasedpressure / collision

Decrease inpressure, increased turbulent shear

Overshot configuration

Downstream fish passage through gates and spillways

Irrigation development helps rice farmers, but weirs and floodgates can prevent fish migration, so improving fish

passage can = improved livelihoods based on both “Rice and Fish”.

But can we now add hydro power to the equation (MK 15)?

Global energy growth by sector

Global energy growth by sector

2013 CPWF Project No: MK15Optimising fish-friendly criteria for incorporation into the design of mini-hydro (low head – high flow) schemes in

the Lower Mekong Basin Lao researchers trained in to assess injury and mortality to fish

through exposure to changes in barotrauma (water pressure) and shear forces (fast water flows).

Produce a fish-friendly mini-hydro power pre-feasibility study specific to Lao PDR.

Create preliminary engineering design criteria guidelines to minimise injury and mortality to downstream migrating fish.

Presented results through regional workshop to fisheries researchers, water infrastructure engineers and resource managers in the LMB.

Pressure and Shear

http://www.poweronline.com/

Fish friendly turbine - Voith Fish friendly turbine - Voith

Fish friendly SLH engine - Natel

Fish friendly options available?

Reductionist approach - learning from both USA and Australian experience

Barotrauma Chambers at Don Dok Campus Vientiane, National University of Lao

Rapid Pressure Change

Analysing results of experiments

Pressure Change Data: very early results – more replication (reduce error bars) and improved handling

Per

cent

Mor

talit

y 24

hr p

ost

trea

tmen

t

Treatment

Shear Lab at Don Dok Campus Vientiane, National University of Lao

Lao

USA

Published estimates of shear stress in natural and man-made altered environments (reproduced from Neitzel et al, 2000).

Silver shark (sometimes referred to as Bala shark; Balantiocheilos melanopterus )

Natural range 200 up to 2,600 (N/m2)

Bulb Turbine 500 up to 5,421 (Nm2)

Other work:

Feasibility studies on potential for low-head high-flow hydro in Lao PDR– Fieldwork completed, in drafting stage

Preliminary Engineering guidelines for fish-friendly hydro development– Drafting stage

The CPWF MK15 project is just the start of this work, it will need to be followed up with further research on the range of fish species and life stages that migrate downstream and then field assessed to ensure acceptable safe passage is achieved.

Lao now has these facilities and the knowledge of how to run the experiments, so we are in a position to help develop the biological answers hydro engineers need in order to design fish-friendly low head-high volume small-scale hydro schemes capable of being retro-fitted on existing, or included in new, irrigation schemes in Loa PDR.

= Rice + Fish + Power

BUT

Thank you for your time