Poverty is high in the small south-east Asian country of Laos, with 40 per cent of children stunted from malnutrition.<br /><br />But the country does have one trump card.<br /><br />Its mountains and rivers are ideal for dams, to produce energy that could be sold to power-hungry neighbours like Thailand.<br /><br />Critics claim these dams will block fish migration, cause massive environmental damage and affect millions of people who depend on the rivers to survive. <br /><br />But the Laos government is determined to press ahead, building eight hydro-electric projects on the Mekong river and another 50 on its tributaries.<br /><br />101 East, with presenter Veronica Pedrosa, looks at whether the dams in Laos can lift a country out of poverty, or leave its people hungry.
