Village authorities along the Nam Vaen and Nam Xam rivers have told residents to stop using river water after two rare earth mining ponds in Houaphanh burst on 1 November and released chemical wastewater into the Nam Vaen River.
According to the 3-November notice, residents of Meuangvaen, Nakao, and Nakhoun villages must suspend all water use until officials finish inspections and issue further notices.
As of 4 November, provincial authorities and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce had not identified the chemicals released or explained why the ponds in Thabpheung village burst.
The Nam Vaen flows through Thabpheung village before joining the Nam Xam River. The Nam Xam continues east across the border into Vietnam, where it is known as the Chu River, and eventually empties into the Gulf of Tonkin. Unlike rivers in the Mekong basin, the Nam Xam flows east towards Vietnam rather than south into the Mekong.
Thabpheung is in Xam Neua district and part of an area where several rare earth mining projects are underway.
In June 2022, officials opened a 5-square-kilometer mining and processing project and a separate 45-square-kilometer exploration project. Other project sites are in Outhai and Sopxay villages in Houamuang district.
Similar Complaints in 2024
Residents of Teuam village and nearby communities in Houaphanh raised similar concerns in early 2024, reporting chemical pollution in the Taboun and Man streams.
They alleged that the Laos-China Rare Mineral Development Company North 2 Limited had discharged chemicals into a river, and they voiced outrage over the effects on fish and livestock.
Provincial authorities launched an investigation and collected water samples. The then- Ministry of Energy and Mines ordered a temporary halt to mining until water quality improved.
In April 2024, a group of affected villages said on Facebook that chemicals leaked into the Taboun and Man streams from 22 February 2024 and reached the Vaen and middle Xam rivers, affecting the livelihoods of people in 36 villages.
The group said fish, cattle, and buffalo died and villagers developed severe skin rashes.
It also said mining continued despite the ministry’s suspension notice dated 6 March 2024.
Calls for Tighter Oversight
Concerns about the environmental impact of rare earth mining have continued this year. On 6 October, Houaphanh National Assembly member Soyphet Thongsombath told the Assembly that some existing projects were still harming the environment and residents’ daily lives.
She called on authorities to review exploration and survey projects and stop approving new ones.
Less than a month later, the ponds in Thabpheung village burst, raising fresh concerns for communities that rely on the rivers.
Authorities have yet to identify the chemicals released or explain what caused the ponds to burst.
