In June 2019, an early morning flash flood swept through the Bien La commune in northwestern Vietnam, ravaging crops and farmlands belonging to 60 families. The cause: the Su Pan 1 small hydropower dam, about 12 km (7 miles) upstream of the commune, where officials opened the water discharge gates without prior notice. Most of Bien La’s residents are from ethnic minority groups like Tay, Hmong, Dao and Kinh. According to a recent study, the development of multiple small hydropower projects (defined by Vietnam as projects under 30 megawatts) has had both economic and cultural impacts on these communities, leading to loss of farmland and jobs, as well as a decline in traditional practices and communal harmony. “Although these small hydropower projects have benefited a few community people, many have lost their farmlands, a traditional way of life forcing them to out-migrate to other provinces from their ancestral villages in search of work,” says Nga Dao, associate professor at Canada’s York University and lead author of the study. Dao conducted field research in the area from 2009-24, and, beginning in 2019, collaborated with local women who served as co-researchers by documenting their lives and communities via photography. A reservoir in the upstream commune. Image by Pham Hoài Thanh. A small hydropower dam in Bien La. Image by Nga Dao. “Overarching impacts” Small hydropower plants have proliferated over the past two decades. According to the study, four small hydropower plants have been built in Bien La since 2006, and an additional…This article was originally published on Mongabay