Mekong Forum on Water, Food and Energy. 2012. From Session 1: Starting Small: Hydropower dams for water, food and energy.

1. DECISION SUPPORT LINKING RESERVOIR OPERATION
WITH LIVELIHOOD OPTIONS
Case example from Lao PDR
Kam Suan Pheng, Chu Thai Hoanh, Julia Reis,
Guillaume Lacombe, Teoh Shwu Jiau
Mekong Forum on Water, Food and Energy
Session 1 Starting Small: Hydropower dams for
water, food and energy
13 November 2012

2. Decision support: for what purpose?
• To maximize power supply; optimize multiple
water use  focus on water management
• Can reservoir operation rules accommodate
livelihood options for affected communities?

3. Case of the Nam Gnouang storage reservoir
Keosaenkham
Nam Gnouang Dam
Typical cross section

4. Decision support: linking reservoir operation with
livelihood options
1. How would affected communities best use the land
and water resources at their disposal to enhance their
livelihoods?
2. Can reservoir operation rules accommodate their
livelihood needs with minor impact on hydropower
production?
a) Recession agriculture on seasonally-exposed reservoir and
river banks
b) Fish resources enhanced with constructed wetlands
 Modeling and simulation to explore win-win
situations

5. A suite of modeling and simulation tools
Land use planning & analysis system (LUPAS)
- Explore cost-effective options of livelihood activities
based on land and labour resources at their disposal
Examine the interaction between reservoir operation & livelihood opportunities
Reservoir simulation (ResSim) GIS modeling & analysis
- Simulate fluctuation of water level - Spatial analysis and mapping support

6. A suite of modeling and simulation tools
LUPAS
EP
ResSim GIS
Exposure period
Least
Overall suitability for recession Slope suitability
agriculture Least
Physical access by boat & road
Least
Most suitable
Most suitable
Most suitable
Keosaenkham
An opportunity to create
constructed wetlands ?

7. A suite of modeling and simulation tools
Evaluate quality and access to land resources
LUPAS
THPC designated land use
zones for Keosaenkham
ResSim GIS
Slope steepness Accessibility taking account of
Accessibility taking account of Accessibility taking account of Increasedaccess of access
Easy difficulty
road travel only Easy access without boat travel
road travel only road and river travel
KSK
KSK Difficult access KSK Difficult access
KSK
Designated zone
for upland rice
40
Division of labour for
35 Fishing
livelihood activities
30 Dry Season Veg.
25
Livestock
20
Vegetables (wet
15 season)
Upland rice
10
5
0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

8. LUPAS simulation: income scenarios
Year 1 Year 2 Year 5
25
Upland, 13
37 68
Riverbank
56
garden, 54 162
Fishing, 54
187 Livestock,
56
228 56
13 M 22 M 10 M
Dry Season Upland, 19 17
Vegetables, 40 15 40
40 68
Riverbank 56
Wet, 54
54
Livestock, 56
131
Fishing, 169
56
206
18 M 26 M 14 M

9. Points for discussion
• What DSS have been developed that may
provide useful information to a hydropower
company on how to change their operating rules
to enhance local livelihood opportunities?
• What would be the enabling environment
required for hydropower companies/operators
to take account of the findings of these decision
support systems?