Press
Release of the International Committee on Dams, Rivers and People
(NGO's)
Critics Demand
Dam-Building Moratorium, Reparations for Past Damage
Major New Report
Confirms Social, Economic, Environmental Harm From Dams Dam critics
are marking today's release of the report of the World Commission
on Dams by challenging the funders of the dam industry, including
the World Bank and export credit agencies, to halt all support for
dams until the commission's recommendations are fully implemented.
The groups are also demanding reparations for social and environmental
damage caused by dams. Indian writer and activist Arundhati Roy lends
her support to the call from non-governmental organizations.
"The World Commission on Dams report vindicates much of what dam critics
have long argued. If the builders and funders of dams follow the recommendations
of the WCD, the era of destructive dams should come to an end", says
Mr Patrick McCully, campaigns director of the California-based International
Rivers Network. [1]
"Had the planning process proposed by the WCD been followed in the
past, many dams would not have been built", concludes IRN’s Patrick
McCully. Among the ongoing and planned projects which are clearly
in breach of the WCD guidelines are China’s Three Gorges dam, the
dams on India’s Narmada river, the Ilisu dam in Turkey, San Roque
in the Philippines, Bujagali in Uganda, Ralco in Chile, the Lesotho
Highlands Water Project, and dams in the Brazilian Amazon and the
Uruguay River Basin in the far south of Brazil.
"Speaking as someone whose farm is to be flooded by a dam, the key
recommendations of the WCD are that no dam should be built without
the agreement of the directly affected people, and that reparations
are needed for those who have suffered because of past dams", says
Mr Sadi Baron, Coordinator of Brazil’s Movement of Dam Affected People
(MAB). [2]
"For planners and engineers of big dams their past mistakes have served
only to add to the majestic arc of their 'learning curve'", says Ms
Arundhati Roy, the Booker Prize-winning author from India and supporter
of the Save the Narmada Movement (Narmada Bachao Andolan - NBA). "It
is time for them to get off their learning curve, which has devastated
the lives of millions of people, and actually learn", adds Roy, who
lends her support to the calls of the anti-dam movement at a press
conference in London today. [3]
"The World Bank and export credit agencies play a key role in dam
building and must act on the WCD's recommendations", says Mr Peter
Bosshard of the Swiss NGO Berne Declaration. "NGOs are calling on
them to place a moratorium on funding dams until they have adopted
the WCD guidelines, and to review all ongoing projects in the light
of the new recommendations." [4]
"It is time for the iron triangle of governments, dam industry and
funders to cease building dams until they have incorporated the WCD’s
recommendations into their policies and practices", says Ms Liane
Greeff of South African NGO Environmental Monitoring Group. [5]
An NGO declaration published today calls on public funding agencies
to halt all support for large dams until they have fully adopted the
WCD recommendations and established mechanisms to provide reparations
to those who are suffering the impacts of past dams. Under the title,
'From Commission to Action', the declaration also calls for a suspension
of all large dams that are currently being planned or under construction
until they have been subjected to participatory reviews as advocated
by the WCD. The declaration has been endorsed by more than 100 NGOs.
McCully, Baron, Bosshard and Greeff are members of the International
Committee on Dams, Rivers and People (ICDRP), which is comprised of
human rights and environment groups and peoples' movements from 13
countries. ICDRP member groups pressured the World Bank to establish
an independent review of dams and have closely followed the WCD process.
[6]
The World Commission on Dams is an independent body sponsored by the
World Bank to review the performance of large dams and make recommendations
for future planning of water and energy projects. It is comprised
of 12 Commissioners from a wide spectrum of backgrounds ranging from
Göran Lindahl, CEO of engineering giant, ABB, to Medha Patkar, leading
activist with India's Save the Narmada Movement.
The WCD's final report provides ample evidence that large dams have
failed to produce as much electricity, provide as much water, or control
as much flood damage as their backers claim. In addition, these massive
projects regularly suffer huge cost-overruns and time delays. Furthermore,
the report shows that:
- large dams
have forced 40-80 million people from their homes and lands,
with impacts including extreme economic hardship, community disintegration,
and an increase in mental and physical health problems. Indigenous,
tribal, and peasant communities have been particularly hard hit.
People living downstream of dams have also suffered from increased
disease and the loss of natural resources upon which their livelihoods
depended;
- large dams
cause great environmental damage, including the extinction of
many fish and other aquatic species, huge losses of forest, wetland
and farmland; and the
- benefits
of large dams have largely gone to the already well-off while
poorer sectors of society have borne the costs.
Based on these findings, the commission recommends that:
- no dam should
be built without the agreement of the affected people;
- comprehensive
and participatory assessments of the needs to be met, and alternatives
for meeting these needs should be developed before proceeding with
any new project;
- priority should
be given to maximizing the efficiency of existing water and energy
systems before building any new projects;
- periodic participatory
reviews should be done for existing dams to assess such issues as
dam safety, and possible decommissioning
- mechanisms
should be developed to provide social reparations for those who
are suffering the impacts of dams, and to restore damaged ecosystems.
All those quoted above will be available at a press conference at
Queens and Holyrood Rooms, International Hotel, 163 Marsh Wall,
Canary Wharf, 9-10am, Thursday, November 16, 2000.
Case studies
analysing how individual dam projects fare against the WCD's recommendations,
briefing papers on the WCD and the World Bank and Export Credit
Agencies, and excerpts from the WCD report are available at www.irn.org/wcd.
Notes
1. International
Rivers Network (IRN) is a Berkeley, California-based human rights
and environment group which works to support the rights of dam-affected
communities and promote sustainable and equitable means of water
and energy management. IRN is a member of the WCD Forum. www.irn.org
2. The Brazilian Movement of People Affected by Dams (Movimento
dos Atingidos por Barragens - MAB) represents tens of thousands
of Brazilian small farmers who have been displaced or are threatened
by dams in Brazil. The movement is currently fighting to get reparations
for 30,000 families displaced by dams and still waiting for proper
compensation. MAB is a member of the WCD Forum.
3. The Save the Narmada Movement (Narmada Bachao Andolan - NBA),
the world's largest and best-known anti-dam group, is comprised
of tens of thousands of villagers from the valley of the Narmada
River and their supporters from around India. They have led a
15-year-long non-violent struggle against dams on the Narmada.
The NBA is a member of the WCD Forum. www.narmada.org
4. The Berne Declaration is a Swiss NGO with 16,000 members. It
has helped to coordinate international NGO campaigns on large
dams such as Ilisu (Turkey) and Bakun (Malaysia) since 1968, and
is a member of the WCD Forum. www.evb.ch Peter Bosshard can be
reached in London on mobile no. +41 79 478 9194.
5. The Environmental Monitoring Group is based in Cape Town, South
Africa, and has been acting as a liaison between the WCD secretariat
and global and regional networks of NGOs and communities affected
by large dams.
6. Other ICDRP members present in London at the ICDRP's press
conference and the launch of the WCD are: Mr Pedro Arrojo, Coalition
of People Affected by Large Dams and Aqueducts (COAGRET), Spain
www.geocities.com/RainForest/Jungle/1839/1qec.htm Ms. Joan Carling,
Cordillera Peoples' Alliance (CPA), Philippines (WCD Forum member)
Mr Göran Ek, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) www.snf.se/english.cfm.
Can be reached in London on mobile no. +46 70 759 48 68. Ms Tonje
Folkestad, Association for International Water and Forest Studies
(FIVAS), Norway www.solidaritetshuset.org/fivas/Nyforsideeng.htm
Mr Nicholas Hildyard, The Cornerhouse, UK www.icaap.org/Cornerhouse.
Mobile no. +44 (0)777 375 0534 Mr. Chainarong Sretthachau, Southeast
Asia Rivers Network (SEARIN), Thailand www.searin.org Mr Antonio
Tricarico, Campaign to Reform the World Bank, Italy www.unimondo.org/cbm/
Ms Birgit Zimmerle, World Economy, Ecology & Development (WEED),
Germany www.weedbonn.org. Additional Information Contact: Patrick
McCully International Rivers Network +44 (0)774 892 1420 (mobile)
Peter Bosshard Berne Declaration +41 79 478 9194 (mobile) Nicholas
Hildyard The CornerHouse +44 (0)777 375 0534 (mobile)
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People
and nature in danger if dam recommendations not implemented says WWF
20 February, 2000,
Gland, Switzerland - As the World Commission on Dams (WCD) Consultative
Forum prepares to meet in South Africa later this week, WWF, the conservation
organization has warned that unless the Forum adopts a series of tangible
steps for members to take, the third of the world's rivers that remain
relatively intact will be destroyed and up to ten million people could
be displaced in the next decade.
Up to 1,700 dams
are in the pipeline around the world, mostly in India, China and Turkey.
Proceeding with these projects will mean up to ten million people
being displaced, thousands of small farmers losing their jobs, a widening
economic gap favouring the rich, increasing social conflict over water,
and more species going extinct than we already know.
The WCD Consultative
Forum is expected to identify, shape, and set a timeframe on the actions
that must be taken by the governments, businesses and civil society
groups involved in the dams issue. It is also expected to build a
consensus among the different interest groups to ensure that no more
concrete and steel structures rob people of their livelihoods and
rich natural resources. For example, in Senegal alone, dams on the
Senegal River resulted in loss of eleven thousand tonnes of fish per
year.
"While the
WCD report documented benefits accrued from dams, it also confirmed
that dams have done irreversible damage in many parts of the world,"
said Dr. Biksham Gujja, Head of WWF's Freshwater Unit. "While
we applaud the WCD report for providing recommendations and a framework,
we now expect to see the many groups making up the Forum commit to
specific actions within a specified timeframe."
In a position
statement released today, WWF listed a series of recommendations to
the Forum and actions for all stakeholders to ensure that there is
no further displacement of populations and loss of habitat and natural
resources due to dams. WWF believes that financiers and development
aid agencies such as the World Bank must commit to a code of practice
so that where one funder rejects a proposal that fails to meet sound
criteria, another does not step in to fund the project. By the same
token, WWF wants OECD countries to refrain from building more large
dams (over 15 metres high) at least for the next two decades and also
wants a moratorium on megadams (over 100 metres high).
The WCD Forum
should give private sector financiers and aid agencies a larger role
in finding alternative energy and water options. According to WWF,
where decommissioning is not possible, the focus should be on mitigating
the adverse environmental impacts of dams through river restoration
and recreating floodplains.
"The effectiveness
of the WCD report and process will ultimately depend on the implementation
of its recommendations-- Aid agencies and governments must set aside
the resources and establish financial mechanisms without which, this
will not be possible," Dr. Gujja added.
Source : http://www.panda.org/news/press/news.cfm?id=2205
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Reaction
of the Green Cross
Edito December
2000 - January 2001 issue of the Green Cross International Newsletter
Green Cross on
the Frontline On November 16 in London, Professor Kader Asmal released
the much anticipated report of the World Commission on Dams, a unique
initiative which gathered together the differing and opposing parties
to the large dams debate. The launching ceremony was honoured by the
presence of former President Nelson Mandela, who made poignant reference
to the importance of the dams and devel-opment debate when he reminded
the gathering that "political freedom is not enough when you
do not have clean water to drink; political freedom is not enough
when you do not have a light to read by at night." He also clearly
stated that he wished the WCD guidelines had been available to him
when he had sanctioned some of his country's over 500 dams.
The Commission,
which was created by IUCN and the World Bank, has succeeded in accessing
the heart of the highly controversial issues associated with dams,
which provide 19% of global energy, as well as irrigation and flood
management, but have displaced up to 80 million people, often without
compensation, and have wrecked havoc on ecosystems across the world.
The members of the Commission herald from civil society, private sector,
engineering, environmentalists, and anti-dam lobbies and provided
the rationale for a fundamental shift in the assessment, planning
and project cycles for water and energy resources development. The
Commission established core values to be prerequisite to any decision,
including equity, effiency, participatory decision-making, sustainability
and accountability. The approach is based on the recognition of rights
and assessment of risks.
Immediately after
the presentation of the report, opponents of large dams seized the
opportunity to call for the suspension of all dam projects pending
their review in accordance with the WCD recommendations.
Green Cross, which
contributed to the WCD on the question of conflict prevention regarding
dams with transboundary impact, considers the report as a guideline
for analysing existing and new projects to assess whether they contribute
to the sustainable improvement of human welfare on a basis that is
economically viable, socially equitable and environmentally sustainable.
Many large dams, both already built and under construction, do not
answer to these criteria. Green Cross, faithful to its mission, acts
to mitigate the negative environmental and social impacts of such
infrastructures by bringing altogether all stakeholders involved in
the issue. It is what we are doing in Argentina and in Paraguay, contributing
to the resolution of the negative ecological and social consequences
of the Yacyreta dam. These activities began in mid-2000 and have already
yielded positive results for displaced persons, who are not only financially
compensated but helped to develop new commercial activities to give
them a position in society and allow them to regain control of their
lives. The Green Cross mediation action is in line with the recommendations
of the WCD, and our role as the 'Red Cross for Environment', but the
traps are many and present new challenges for our organization to
surmount.
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NGO
Statement on Dams and Climate Change
The following statement was released at the recent COP6 climate conference
in The Hague. It is arguing that reservoirs emit greenhouse gases,
using the evidence found in the WCD reports
"All reservoirs emit greenhouse gases
Hydropower is not a source of clean or sustainable energy and should
not qualify for the kyoto protocol flexibility mechanisms"
This Paper has been produced by Liane Greeff, Environmental
Monitoring Group, (South Africa) in conjunction with Richard Sherman,
Earthlife Africa Johannesburg (South Africa), Antonio Tricarico, Reform
the World Bank (Italy) and Tonje Folkestad, FIVAS (Norway).
The World Commission on Dams Final Report highlights the evidence
that "all reservoirs - not only hydropower reservoirs - emit
GHGs ... in some circumstances the gross emissions can be considerable,
and possibly greater than the thermal alternatives". This press
release therefore calls for the unilateral exclusion of large dam
projects from the flexibility mechanisms within the Kyoto Protocol,
which are to be decided at the Sixth Conference of the Parties (COP6),
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Meeting at the
Hague from 13 to 24 November 2000.
The basis for the position that large dams are not eligible for consideration
as a CDM mechanism is the following:
* Large dams emit greenhouse gases
* Large dams do not fulfill the sustainability requirement - either
environmentally or socially - necessary for consideration as a CDM
mechanism
* Renewable & sustainable alternatives do exist and should be
identified and supported by the flexibility mechanisms of the Kyoto
protocol
During COP6, state parties will take decisions that will set put the
rules, modalities and principles of the Kyoto Protocol Mechanism,
which includes Joint Implementation, Emissions Trading and the Clean
Development Mechanism (CDM). The main objective of the CDM is to address
sustainable development needs of developing countries (non-Annex 1
parties) while simultaneously assisting developed countries (Annex
1 parties) to achieve their greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets.
A credible CDM will find a balance between these two objectives, and
has the potential to really make a difference with respect to global
efforts to reduce greenhouse gases, and thereby to stabilize climate
change. Conversely, if used incorrectly, without the necessary environmental
and social controls, it is wide open to abuse and will exacerbate
environmental destruction and global warming.
A critical issue for the effectiveness of the CDM, and the overall
achievement of the Kyoto protocol reduction targets, will be which
technologies and practices are eligible for carbon 'credits'. If unsustainable
technologies such as large hydropower dams, nuclear power and fossil
fuels are included, it will compromise the stated purpose of the CDM
and undermine the effectiveness of the Kyoto Protocol as a whole.
The Economic Implications of the Kyoto Protocol, and indeed COP6,
must not be underestimated. It is predicted that these negotiations
will ultimately result in the flow of between US$24 - 37 billion from
developed to developing countries within the next ten years. The hydro
industry has been promoting itself as a carbon free, clean energy
source, and therefore they have been lobbying for inclusion as a CDM,
which would allow them to access large new sources of finance which
is critical for its continued existence. Indeed, the recent World
Commission on Dams has highlighted the ingredients of the proposition
that the era of large dams is over.
Evidence from the WCD Final Report:
The above position is substantiated by the Final Report of the World
Commission on Dams, from which the following excerpts are taken.
Dams emit Greenhouse Gases "The emission of greenhouse gases
(GHG) from reservoirs due to rotting vegetation and carbon inflows
from the catchment is a recently identified ecosystem impact (on climate)
of storage dams. A first estimate suggests that the gross emissions
from reservoirs may account for between 1% and 28% of the global warming
potential of GHG emissions. It also implies that all reservoirs -
not only hydropower reservoirs - emit GHGs ... in some circumstances
the gross emissions can be considerable, and possibly greater than
the thermal alternatives."
Large Dams are unsustainable
(a) Environmentally unsustainable: "Unsustainable irrigation
practices have affected more than a fifth of the world's irrigated
area in arid and semi-arid regions. As a result, soil salinity and
water-logging either make agriculture impossible, or limit yields
and the types of crops that can be grown."
"Large dams have fragmented and transformed the world's rivers,
modifying 46% of primary watersheds Among the many factors leading
to the degradation of watershed ecosystems, dams are the main physical
threat, fragmenting and transforming aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems
with a range of effects that vary in duration, scale and degree of
reversibility At least 20% of the world's more than 9000 fresh water
fish species have become extinct, threatened or endangered in recent
years substantial losses in downstream fishery production as a result
of dam construction are reported from around the world .The problems
may be magnified as more large dams are added to a river system, resulting
in an increased and cumulative loss of natural resources, habitat
quality, environmental sustainability, and ecosystem integrity."
(b) Socially unsustainable: "While many have benefited from the
services large dams provide, their construction and operation have
led to many significant, negative social and human impacts. The adversely
affected populations include directly displaced families, host communities,
where families are resettled, and riverine communities, especially
those downstream of dams. More broadly, whole society have lost access
to natural resources and cultural heritage that were submerged by
reservoirs or rivers transformed by dams. The construction of large
dams has led to the displacement of some 40 to 80 million people worldwide
These figures are at best only estimates and certainly do not include
the millions displaced due to other aspects of the projects such as
canals, powerhouses, project infrastructure, and associated compensatory
measures, such as biological reserves and so on. They also refer to
physical displaced only and thus do not include communities upstream
and downstream of dams that have suffered livelihood displacement
Analysis of the Knowledge Base, and in particular the WCD Case Studies,
indicates that the poor, vulnerable groups and future generations
are likely to bear a disproportionate share of the social and environmental
costs of large dam projects without gaining a commensurate share of
the economic benefits ".
Alternatives to hydro, nuclear and fossil power exists "The priority
for a sustainable and equitable global energy sector is for all societies
to increase the efficiency of energy use and the use of renewable
resources There are enormous opportunities for demand side management
in industrial economies. There is also considerable scope for efficiency
investments in expanding economies where they would moderate the required
investment in new supply" In the last two decades, the cost of
wind power under good wind conditions dropped by 75%, bringing it
within reach of avoided fuel costs of modern fossil-fueled power plants
In addition to wind and solar, biomass and ocean energy systems (wave,
tidal energy and ocean thermal) have application for grid power. Biomass
options are commercial where biomass fuel is readily available".
Hydro dams cost more than estimated and achieve less then predicted
"The bulk of projects have deliver power within a close range
of pre-project targets but with an overall tendency to fall short
of targets. Hydropower projects - as with other large dams - have
incurred cost overruns and schedule delays. It also shows that around
on-fifth of the projects in the sample achieved less than 75% of the
planned power targets."
Climate change likely to increase the frequency of extreme events
and thereby reduce hydropower output, increase flooding and reduce
dam safety: "Normal variations in weather and river flows dictates
that virtually all hydroelectric projects will have year to year fluctuations
in output, whether climate change will affect this remains to be seen
There is a risk that a changing climate will modify the hydrological
basis on which many flood control dams were designed. This raises
concerns about the physical adequacy of many dams to perform their
flood management functions, as well as the adequacy of spillways to
handle much higher flood control volumes likely in a changed climate
.Climate change has introduced another level of uncertainty about
changing flows within the life span of most dams. The safety of large
dams is affected by changes in the magnitude or frequency of extreme
precipitation evens ...There is concern, therefore, about whether
existing spillways can evacuate such floods in the future."
In addition to the Final Report, the World Commission on Dams convened
a workshop in Montreal, where leading researchers in this field from
around the world - including both proponents and opponents of the
hydro industry - discussed the issue of large dams and global warming.
Following the workshop, they issued a consensus statement, which included
the following points:
* All reservoirs emit greenhouse gases, and continue to do so for
decades, at a minimum
* GHG emissions result not only from flooded biomass, but also from
carbon transported by the river from the catchment area, and
* The multiplier commonly used to convert methane emissions to "equivalent
CO2" significantly underestimates the climate change impact of
reservoirs over the first several decades."
Recommendations for the COP6 Negotiation Process
If the CDM, and the other flexible mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol,
are to survive as credible instruments for sustainable development,
climate action and technology transfer, then they cannot be used to
support environmentally damaging or unsustainable technologies. Governments
have a real opportunity to actively create a new mechanism that could
make a considerable contribution to tackling the climate problem and
to lead us into a sustainable future. In order to do so, we strongly
urge the following:
* Large hydro, and other unsustainable power sources such as nuclear
and coal, which are inconsistent with the CDM goal of sustainable
development, should not be eligible for certified emission reduction
units.
* COP6 must establish an environmentally effective and socially equitable
CDM, which catalyses the introduction of zero carbon technologies
in developing countries. To achieve this, CDM must focus on renewable
energy sources and demand side energy efficiency technologies. Governments
must define a priority list of cutting edge renewable technologies
that have access to a preferential set of CDM rules.
* The urgency of developed countries to meet their obligations to
reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases by domestic action requires
agreement on a quantitative cap on the use of the Kyoto Protocol flexible
mechanisms to meet emission reduction targets. Global rules must ensure
that the majority of developed countries greenhouse gas emissions
reductions, at least 70% are met through domestic action at home.
The rules must not present a loophole that allows high per capita
emitters to evade aggressive domestic action.
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A
dam-builders' perception of post WCD-context
Why should you attend URHP VIII? International Water
Power and Dam Construction - 25 Oct 2001
Over the past year, the water power and dams industry has witnessed
the call for a moratorium on large dam construction. In addition,
while questioning the operational effectiveness of existing dams and
hydroelectric facilities, the World Commission on Dams has urged the
industry to squeeze more out of these projects. Isn't this a wake
up call? Shouldn't we be grasping such opportunities to generate new
business for old plants?
International Water Power and Dam Construction's conference, Uprating
and Refurbishing Hydro Power Plants VIII, will show you where new
uprating and refurbishment opportunities are, particularly in Eastern
Europe where political and economic transformation of the power sector
is now taking place. Financial institutions will give you guidance
about their funding policies for such work, and panellists will help
you identify and successfully overcome environmental, social and legal
barriers in this area. Practical approaches to cost-effective uprating
and refurbishment will also be demonstrated through technical papers
and panel discussion.
Careful analysis of existing plant, along with probing discussion
on how uprating and refurbishment is carried out, will highlight expanding
business opportunities for the future. Successful uprating and refurbishment
may also have implications for future dam construction. The simple
fact is if existing projects are not maintained properly, why should
dam opponents believe these are worthwhile, or that new schemes will
perform any better?
By looking at the broader issue of uprating and refurbishment you
can run your hydro business more effectively. At URHP VIII, our skilled
panellists and technical presentations will help you define the path
for uprating and refurbishment well into the twenty-first century.
Source: IRNs WCD
Listserv
WCD Final Report
