European Rivers Network
Press Release - 24.01.00
A European NGO-organised
hearing on WCD (World Commission on Dams) related issues has been
held in Bratislava on 17th and 18th January. Over 60 European NGOs,
as well as representatives from other continents were present. The
hearing has been hosted by Friends of the Earth Slovakia.
WCD, founded by
the World Bank and the IUCN, has to review the effectiveness of large
dams and assess alternatives for water ressources and energy development
and develop standards and guidelines for decision-making in the planning,
construction, operation and decommissioning of dams.
Hearings have been held all over the world but no European one was
planned in the WCD process despite the importance of dam issues in
Europe. NGOs thus decided to meet to agree on what they think should
appear the in the final WCD report, which will be presented in September
2000.
NGOs deeply regret that the WCD has not respected the human and financial
efforts to organise such an important event which has been attended
by only one of the Commissioners and two members of the staff, despite
the fact that the meeting was convened on the date set by the WCD.
One of the main goals of this meeting was to explode the myth that
dams are uncontroversial in Europe and the presented cases indeed
proved that dams have, even in Europe, tremendous social and environmental
impacts.
Another main goal was to denounce the fact that European-based companies
are using different standards wether they operate in Europe or abroad.
While social and environmental guidelines start to be used in their
operation at home, they still export outdated and outmoded technologies
to the South .
The meeting documented how dams are not a benign source of energy
and mainly:
- how gross violations of human rights are often accompanying dam
building
- how dams are producing an important mass of green house gas
- how dams only benefited northern companies while they often failed
to bring the expected development
to southern communities
- how dams haved proved ineffective in flood prevention
The participants thus concluded that in the future, large dams must
not play a major role in energy and water management policies.
