Text :
14.06.99 :Nach dem Kosovo-Krieg: Trinkwasser
und Donau in Gefahr
WWF verlangt internationales Programm zur Rettung der
Donau
Wien, Frankfurt a. M. 14.06.1999. Die Umweltstiftung
WWF hat zur Unterstuetzung der Anrainerstaaten der Donau ein sofortiges
grenzueberschreitendes Aktionsprogramm gefordert, um die oekologischen
Folgen des Kosovo-Konflikts zu begrenzen und die Trinkwasserqualitaet
fuer Millionen Menschen zu sichern. Als Folge der Bombardierungen jugo-slawischer
Chemiefabriken und Raffinerien seien insbesondere die untere Donau und
das Schwarze Meer gefaehrdet. Ueber das genaue Ausmass der Schaeden lasse
sich bislang nur spekulieren, da Laender wie Bulgarien und Rumaenien nicht
ueber ausreichende Messgeraete verfuegten.
"Wir muessen den Verschmutzungen so schnell wie moeglich
entgegentreten. Nur so kann verhindert werden, dass auf die menschliche
Tragoedie eine oekologische folgt," betonte Philip Weller, Projektleiter
des Donau-Karpaten-Programms. Man solle sich nicht dadurch taeuschen lassen,
dass bisher entlang des Flusses nur kleinere Schaeden sichtbar geworden
seien. Eine Vielzahl der Verschmutzungen z.B. durch Quecksilber seien mit
blossem Auge nicht zu erkennen. "Die bisherige Ueberwachung der Donau ist
sehr lueckenhaft und beruht vorwiegend auf Beobachtungen von Grenzposten,"
berichtet Weller. Nur vereinzelt seien Wasserproben analysiert worden.
Der WWF unterstuetzt die Regierungen in Bulgarien und
Rumaenien bei ihren Forderungen nach einem internationalen Hilfsprogramm.
"Beide Laender brauchen Unterstuetzung, um bestehende Untersuchungsprogramme
auszubauen. Verunreinigungen durch Oel oder Chemikalien muessen so schnell
wie moeglich erkannt werden, um entsprechende Gegenmassnahmen einzuleiten",
skizziert Philip Weller die noetigen Schritte. Er befuerchtet, dass
sich die menschliche Tragoedie durch die langfristigen oekologischen Schaeden
in Jugoslawien und den anderen Balkanstaaten noch ver-schaerfe.
Der WWF arbeitet seit Jahren grenzuebergreifend in verschiedenen
Projekten entlang der Donau. Von einer Wasser-verschmutzung gehen erhebliche
Gefahren fuer die Menschen und die Natur aus. Das untere Donautal ist aufgrund
seines Artenreichtums von hohem oekologischen Wert. Der Fluss ist ein Trinkwasserreservoir
fuer rund zehn Millionen Menschen in Jugoslawien, Rumaenien, Bulgarien,
Moldawien und der Ukraine. Vor allem fuer die besonders empfindli-chen
Wasserorganismen muesse nach Einschaetzung des WWF mit schwerwiegenden
Folgen gerechnet werden. Selbst wenn es nicht zu weiteren unmittelbar
sichtbaren Schaeden komme, drohten langfristige Folgen. Da sich die Gifte
entlang der Nahrungskette anreicherten, bestehe die Gefahr, dass die Fortpflanzung
von Organismen nachhaltig gestoert werde.
Weitere Informationen:
Philip Weller , WWF-Donau-Karpaten-Programm (Wien),
Tel: 00 43 1 488 17253 ; Fax: -431
Umweltstiftung WWF-Deutschland, Pressestelle, Joern Ehlers,
Tel.: 069 / 29 72 41 45
http://www.wwf.de
03.06.99 : Monsanto's expands into water buisness
Over the past few years, Monsanto, a chemical firm, has
positioned
itself as an agricultural company through control over
seed - the
first link in the food chain. Monsanto now wants to control
water, the
very basis of life.
In 1996, Monsanto bought the biotechnology assets of Agracetus,
a
subsidiary of W. R. Grace, for $150 million and Calgene,
a
California-based plant biotechnology company for $340
million. In
1997, Monsanto acquired Holden seeds, the Brazilian seed
company,
Sementes Agroceres and Asgrow. In 1998, it purchased
Cargill's seed
operations for $1.4 billion and bought Delta and Pine
land for $1.82
billion and Dekalb for $2.3 billion.
In India, Monsanto has bought MAHYCO, Maharashtra Hybrid
Company, EID
Parry and Rallis. Mr. Jack Kennedy of Monsanto has said,
"we propose
to penetrate the Indian agricultural sector in a big
way. MAHYCO is a
good vehicle." According to Mr. Robert Farley of Monsanto,
"what you
are seeing is not just a consolidation of seed companies,
it's really
a consolidation of the entire food chain. Since water
is as central to
food production as seed is, and without water life is
not possible,
Monsanto is now trying to establish its control over
water. During
1999, Monsanto plans to launch a new water business,
starting with
India and Mexico since both these countries are facing
water
shortages."
Monsanto is seeing a new business opportunity because
of the emerging
water crisis and the funding available to make this vital
resource
available to people. As it states in its strategy paper,
"first, we
believe that discontinuities (either major policy changes
or major
trendline breaks in resource quality or quantity) are
likely,
particularly in the area of water and we will be well-positioned
via
these businesses to profit even more significantly when
these
discontinuities occur. Second, we are exploring the potential
of
non-conventional financing (NGOs, World Bank, USDA, etc.)
that may
lower our investment or provide local country business-building
resources." Thus, the crisis of pollution and depletion
of water
resources is viewed by Monsanto as a business opportunity.
For Monsanto, "sustainable development" means the conversion
of an
ecological crisis into a market of scarce resources.
"The business
logic of sustainable development is that population growth
and
economic development will apply increasing pressure on
natural
resource markets. These pressures and the world's desire
to prevent
the consequences of these pressures, if unabated, will
create vast
economic opportunity. When we look at the world through
the lens of
sustainability, we are in a position to see current -
and foresee
impending - resource market trends and imbalances that
create market
needs. We have further focussed this lens on the resource
market of
water and land. These are the markets that are most relevant
to us as
a life sciences company committed to delivering
food, health and hope
to the world, and there are markets in which there are
predictable
sustainability challenges and therefore opportunities
to create
business value."
Monsanto plans to earn revenues of $420 million and a
net income of
$63 million by 2008 from its water business in India
and Mexico. By
010, about 2.5 billion people in the world are projected
to lack
access to safe drinking water. At least 30 per cent of
the population
in China, India, Mexico and the U.S. is expected to face
severe water
stress. By 2025, the supply of water in India will be
700 cubic km per
year, while the demand is expected to rise to 1,050 units.
Control
over this scarce and vital resource will, of course,
be a source of
guaranteed profits. As John Bastin of the European Bank
of
Reconstruction and Development has said, "Water is the
last
infrastructure frontier for private investors."
Monsanto estimates that providing safe water is a several
billion
dollar market. It is growing at 25 to 30 per cent in
rural communities
and is estimated to rise to $300 million by 2000 in India
and Mexico.
This is the amount currently spent by NGOs for water
development
projects and local government water supply schemes and
Monsanto hopes
to tap these public finances for providing water to rural
communities
and convert water supply into a market. The Indian Government
spent
over $1.2 billion between 1992 and 1997 for various water
projects,
while the World Bank spent $900 million. Monsanto would
like to divert
this public money from public supply of water to establishing
the
company's water monopoly. Since in rural areas the poor
cannot pay, in
Monsanto's view capturing a piece of the value created
for this
segment will require the creation of a non-traditional
mechanism
targeted at building relationships with local government
and NGOs as
well as through mechanisms such as microcredit.
Monsanto also plans to penetrate the Indian market for
safe water by
establishing a joint venture with Eureka Forbes/Tata,
which controls
70 per cent of the UV Technologies. To enter the water
business,
Monsanto has acquired an equity stake in Water Health
International
(WHI) with an option to buy the rest of the business.
The joint
venture with Tata/Eureka Forbes is supposed to provide
market access
and fabricate, distribute, service water systems; Monsanto
will
leverage their brand equity in the Indian market. The
joint venture
route has been chosen so that "Monsanto can achieve management
control
over local operations but not have legal consequences
due to local
issues."
***** Another new business that Monsanto is starting in
1999 in Asia is
aquaculture. It will build on the foundation of Monsanto's
>>agricultural biotechnology and capabilities for fish
feed and fish
breeding. By 2008, Monsanto expects to earn revenues
of $1.6 billion
and a net income of $266 million from its aquaculture
business. While
Monsanto's entry into aquaculture is through its "sustainable
development" activity, industrial aquaculture has been
established to
be highly non-sustainable. The Supreme Court has banned
industrial
shrimp farming because of its catastrophic consequences.
However, the
Government, under pressure from the aquaculture industry,
is
attempting to change the laws to undo the court order.
At the same
time, attempts are being made by the World Bank to privatise
water
resources and establish trade in water rights. These
trends will suit
Monsanto well in establishing its water and aquaculture
businesses.
The Bank has already offered to help. As the Monsanto
strategy paper
states: "We are particularly enthusiastic about the potential
of
partnering with the International Finance Corporation
(IFC) of the
World Bank to joint venture projects in developing markets.
The IFC is
eager to work with Monsanto to commercialise sustainability
opportunities and would bring both investment capital
and
on-the-ground capabilities to our efforts."
Monsanto's water and aquaculture businesses, like its
seed business,
aimed at controlling the vital resources necessary for
survival,
converting them into a market and using public finances
to underwrite
he investments. A more efficient conversion of public
goods into
private profit would be difficult to find. Water is,
however, too
basic for life and survival and the right to it is the
right to life.
Privatisation and commodification of water are a threat
to the right
to life. India has had major movements to conserve and
share water.
The pani panchayat and the water conservation movement
in Maharashtra
and the Tarun Bharat Sangh in Alwar have regenerated
and equitably
shared water as a commons property. This is the only
way everyone will
have the right to water and nobody will have the right
to abuse and
overuse water. Water is a commons and must be managed
as a commons. It
cannot be controlled and sold by a life sciences corporation
that
peddles in death.
(Vandana Shiva is Director of the Research Foundation
for Science,
Technology and Ecology, New Delhi. She can be reached
at
vshiva@giasdl01.vsnl.net.in)
04.06.99 :Hunger Strike in Aragón (Spain)against
Large Dams projects.
From: "Coordinadora de afectados por grandes embalses
y trasvases COAGRET" <coagret@jet.es>
To: "ERN-news" <rivernews_europe-request@rivernet.netsysteme.net>,
Subject: Hunger strike
Dear friends:
After discussions which have taken place for weeks among
several areas affected by the building of large dams we, the Coordination
of People Affected by Large Dams and Diversions (COAGRET), have decided
to launch a three-weeks hunger strike protest. The numbers of strikers
are expected to increase gradually up to at least 1000 people joining to
fast symbolically on June 5th, The World’s day for the Environment. On
the following day, June 6th, the whole process is expected to culminate
in a big demonstration at Zaragoza which will start at noon from Pignatelly
Park.
We would like to establish firmly that everyone involved
in the hunger strike, whatever the length they could take on, will be under
the supervision of a doctor. In other words, we are not playing with our
health, we are only playing with our own willpower and hunger.
The motto that will preside over this campaign is. «For
the dignity of the Mountains, for Aragon’s dignity. Stop drowning valleys
and planning diversions!»
The hunger strike will be started on May 15th and will
take place around five fasting centres: Jaca, Biscarrues-Ayerbe, Huesca,
Santaliestra and Zaragoza. At these centres the most important thing won’t
be the hunger strike in itself but the work of people who volunteer to
support during these weeks. We need hundreds of people to organise the
demonstration of June 6th
That so falsely called Department of the Environment
collaborating with Aragon’s County Council has eventually decided to assault
the central Pyrenees, its strategy being the building of large dams as
a pretext for the realisation of large scale private business with the
buying and selling of waters.
The dams of Yesa, Biscarrues, Jánovas, Santaliestra,
Lechago and El Val are the very representation of the brutality of this
assault on the Aragonese Pyrenees. Yesa’s enlargement scheme has been presented
within the frame of a shameful and demagogic propaganda which claims the
enlargement being indispensable for the quality of Zaragoza’s water supply.
The irrigation of Monegros II and the Jiloca-Jalón
area is simply an excuse for the building of Biscarrués, Jánovas
and Lechago, for the maximum irrigate extent in these areas according to
the National Irrigation Schedule does not require at all the building of
more dams.
Referring to Santaliestra, Catalonian Electric Companies
in collaboration with Mr. Jordi Pujol (President of Catalonian County Council)
are consciously manipulating the public opinion of the inhabitants around
the Irrigation Channel of Aragón and Catalonia. Besides, in which
concerns to Santa Liestra the Department of Environment is criminally ignoring
its own technical reports which acknowledge for the dam actually menacing
the life of the 4000 inhabitants of the downriver area.
The conflict at El Val, where the Government has failed
to keep its own promises; Beceite, where the inability for political management
has been replaced with authoritarianism in everything concerning to the
useless pumping of the river; all of them indicate the necessity
for a change not only in the manners in which hydraulic politics are carried
out but also in the basic question of these politics.
We feel completely defenceless. The very legality concerning
European legislation on environment is being violated. Citizenship mobilisations
in the Pyrenees areas are being systematically underestimated by both the
County Council and the National Department on the grounds that protesters
are nothing but minorities.
A manifesto «For the Dignity of the Mountain»
to which ADELPA (Pyrenees villages association) and the greatest part of
Pyrenees villages and communities have subscribed points out the fact that
we can all be considered a minority in a sense -highlands against lowlands,
lowlands against Zaragoza and Aragon in itself against Catalonia, Valencia
or Spain as a whole. Only respecting our own minorities will we have the
moral strength to call for respect to ourselves as Aragonese.
We have reached now a point where only fool and hostile
people can keep on rejecting our accounts when we report that these large
dams stand not only for the ruin of the mountain but also for the beginning
of large diversions.
From COAGRET we are appealing to make worth this tough
effort which is going to be the HUNGER STRIKE. We are calling to a general
mobilisation of the Aragonese people, not only of those belonging to the
affected areas but also of those in the low lands and irrigation areas.
We want to emphasise our call to the Zaragoza’s public
opinion, which is being blatantly manipulated by a campaign called
«Quality water supply for Zaragoza and its surroundings». The
only aim of this publicity campaign is to benefit from a huge private business
at the expense of taxpayers ant to convert public opinion into public support
for Yesa’s enlargement which is not necessary at all, and for those diversions
against which we have fought for so long.
Both this hunger strike and the demonstration of
June 6th have two main targets and basic claims:
1- We demand respect for the European legislation on impact
assessment studies which is currently being violated by the pressing of
powerful lobbies
2- We also demand for a delay on the building of large
dams and diversions which will allow for a radical change on hydraulic
politics taking the «New Water Culture» as the starting point
of analysis. Drawing on this framework we demand a new social agreement
according to the National Irrigation Scheme, to the European legislation
on waters and also according to the new criteria shown at the Libro Blanco
del Agua.
COAGRET
Coordinadora de Afectados por Grandes Embalses y Trasvases.
Coordination of People Affected by Large Dams and Diversions.
C/ Sta. Cruz 7, Oficina 3
50.003 ZARAGOZA
Tel/Fax 34-976392004
coagret@jet.es
web de COAGRET: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Jungle/1839
web del ayuno: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Jungle/1839/coagara.htm
02.06.99 : Deutschland : WWF Aueninstitut
ausgezeichnet
WWF-Auen-Institut erhaelt Antaios-Medaille
"Der Silberne Bruch" wuerdigt Naturschutz-Leistungen
am Kuehkopf
Rastatt, 02. Juni 1999. Den Stiftungspreis fuer herausragende
uebernationale Leistungen zum Schutz der Flussauen uebergab der Orden "Der
Silberne Bruch" bei seinem Landeskonvent im Europareservat Kuehkopf-Knoblochsaue
dem WWF-Auen-Institut aus Rastatt. Zusammen mit dem Stiftungspreis von
DM 5 000 erhielt das Auen-Institut die Antaios-Medaille.
Damit zeichnete der Orden, der sich dem Schutz von Wald,
Wild und Flur widmet, die Ar-beiten des WWF im Naturschutzgebiet Kuehkopf-Knoblochsaue
aus. In der Wuerdigung heisst es: "Heute kann das Projekt mit Recht als
europaeisches Modell fuer eine gelungene Integration von wissenschaftlicher
Grundlagenarbeit, zielgerichteten Massnahmen zum Schutz einer ein-maligen
regional typischen Naturlandschaft und zur Verbesserung natuerlicher Lebensgrundla-gen
in der Kulturlandschaft angesehen werden."
Das etwa 2 400 Hektar grosse Europareservat Kuehkopf-Knoblochsaue
am Rhein in der Naehe von Darmstadt gilt als eines der bedeutendsten europaeischen
Auengebiete. Seit 1983 ein Damm brach, laeuft dort ein einmaliges Naturexperiment.
Die Landwirtschaft wurde aufgege-ben und die Flaechen sind regelmaessigen
Ueberflutungen des Rheins ausgesetzt. Es findet eine zum Teil ungestoerte
Naturentwicklung statt. So entstanden, unterstuetzt durch gezielte Pflege-massnahmen,
auf den ehemaligen Ackergebieten artenreiche, farbenpraechtige Wiesen,
die Le-bensgrundlage fuer eine vielfaeltige Tierwelt bieten. Allmaehlich
waechst auf unbeeinflussten Flae-chen sogar wieder Auenwald heran. Das
WWF-Auen-Institut begleitet diese Renaturierung seit fast 15 Jahren fachlich
und schoepft daraus Erkenntnisse, die sich auch fuer Projekte an an-deren
Fluessen wie Donau, Elbe und Oder einsetzen lassen.
Auch fuer interessierte Besucher ist das Gebiet erschlossen:
Auf beschilderten Wegen koennen Fussgaenger die Natur erkunden. In einem
Infozentrum des oertlichen Forstamtes in Stockstadt koennen sie sich mit
den Pflanzen und Tieren des Gebietes vertraut machen.
Weitere Informationen erhalten Sie bei
Anja Rech, Pressereferentin im WWF-Auen-Institut
Josefstr. 1, 76437 Rastatt
Tel. 07222/3807-14, Fax -99
Internet: http://www.wwf.de
02.06.99 : Brazil: REQUEST FOR URGENT LETTER
! NGO-Campaign for the creation of an Extractive Reserve on the islands
in Tucuruí Dam reservoir
REQUEST FOR URGENT LETTER WRITING/PEDIDO DE CARTAS URGENTES:
Campaign for the creation of an Extractive Reserve on
the islands in
Tucuruí Dam reservoir, Pará state, Brazil/
Summary: Tucuruí Dam, the largest ever constructed
in a tropical
rainforest, flooded over 2,400 sq. km. of the Amazon.
More than 30,000
people were expelled from their homes, including various
indigenous groups.
Tens of thousands of more living downstream lost their
livelihood when fish
stocks were depleted as a consequence of the dam. Many
of these families
moved to the reservoir area, occupying "islands" of the
rainforest in
Tucuruí Lake.
Extractive Reserves are a new form of land designation
in Brazil, a legacy
of Chico Mendes' work which combines environmental protection
with
sustainable resource management by local populations.
The Tucuruí
Extractive Reserve would be the first established in
an environmentally
devastated area, and would have as its goal instituting
resource management
programs capable of prolonging the viability of dwindling
fish stocks in
the lake, in the process guaranteeing the health and
well-being of fishing
and extractivist populations in the reservoir area.
Please see addresses for urgent letter writing at the
close of this message.
For centuries, the inhabitants of the Amazon lived in
equilibrium with
nature. The groups had small areas of land, the idea
of property was
unknown to them, and they were able to find everything
they needed to live
well. This style of life was destroyed by the arrival
of the first
Europeans, and ever since the exploitation of nature
and its inhabitants
has caused the extinction of species, alimentation, cultures,
and more
widespread poverty.
Public services were never available in the region, to
the detriment of
rural workers, artisinal fishermen, and gatherers of
forest products, and
there was no one to listen to them, or to give priority
to proposals coming
from local communities. Families were expelled from their
cultural origins
and urban areas filled with migrants, leading to slums
and social
marginalization.
The creation of the Extractive Reserve as the first action
toward a project
of sustainable development in the region, with public
policies constructed
with the full participation and partnership of the residents
of the
reservoir area, not only in the decisionmaking process,
but also in the
carrying out of an integrated development plan, which
could make it
possible to reduce social and economic exploitation,
taking into
consideration their traditional way of life and their
form of organization,
and social and economic needs. Workers don't need handouts,
but rather
instruments to permit them to support their families,
to guarantee the
availability of food, and to market their production.
The movement for the creation of an Extractive Reserve
in the islands of
Tucuruí Dam reservoir marks a return to the original
history of the region,
seeking a form of development that recognizes the value
of the way of life
of its people, and the preservation of natural resources.
There are an
estimated 1,100 islands in Tucuruí reservoir,
where about 6,500 people are
living. The islands were disappropriated by the Federal
Government when
Tucuruí Dam was built, and are considered to be
an area of permanent
environmental preservation.
The residents live by artisinal fishing, and collection
and extraction of
forest products; they have no schools, medical assistance,
or even
electrical energy. Since 1992 the movement has fought
for the creation of
the Reserve, but politics has meant the proposal has
moved forward slowly,
with many obstacles placed in the way.
Currently, all the necessary actions for the creation
of the Reserve have
been concluded, and the final decree authorizing the
Reserve awaits the
signature of the Brazilian President, Mr. Fernando Henrique
Cardoso.
Promoting the campaign are the following labor unions,
and fishermens' and
extractivists' associations and community groups: CEAP-Centro
Agro-ecológico de Assessoria e Educação
Popular; STR TUC-Sindicato dos
Trabalhadores Rurais de Tucuruí; ATRA-Associação
dos Trabalhadores Rurais e
Pescadores Artesanais do Lago da UHE Tucuruí;
ACOVIA-Associação Comunitária
Vista Alegre; ACOAP-Associação da Comunidade
São Pedro; APATER-Associação
Ambiental de Pescadores Artesanais de Tucuruí
e Região; STRN
REPART-Sindicato dos Trabalhadores Agro-extrativistas
e Pescadores do Lago
da UHE Tucuruí; ATAEPA-Associação
dos Trabalhadores Agro-extrativistas e
Pescadores Artesanais do Lago da UHE Tucuruí;
ASPESCA-Associação dos
Pescadores Artesanais S. Sebastião; STR GOIANESIA-Sindicato
dos
Trabalhadores Rurais de Goianésia; MOPEP-Movimento
Estadual dos Pescadores;
MONAP-Movimento Nacional dos Pescadores; CNS-Conselho
Nacional de
Seringueiros.
PLEASE TAKE PART IN THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE CREATION OF THE
EXTRACTIVE RESERVE
IN TUCURUI DAM RESERVOIR:
Send letters, faxes, or emails to the following addresses:
The Amazon and its people thank you!
* PRESIDENCIA DA REPUBLICA (Brazilian President)
Exmo. Sr. Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Praça dos Três Poderes, Palácio do
Planalto, 3° andar
CEP 70.800-200 Brasília DF
fax: 061.226.7566
e-mail: pr@planalto.gov.br
* DR. JOSE' SARNEY FILHO (Environment Minister)
Ministro do Meio Ambiente
Esplanada dos Ministérios, Bloco B, 5° andar
CEP 70.800-200 Brasília DF
fax: 061.226.7101
email: sarneyfilho@mma.gov.br
28.05.99 : WWF : Natuerliche Ueberflutungsgebiete
haetten Flut in Bayern entschaerft
Natuerliche Ueberflutungsgebiete haetten Flut in Bayern
entschaerft
WWF: Haben Staustufen Deichbruch provoziert?
Rastatt, 27. Mai 1999. Der Ausbau der Donau durch Staustufen
und das Abschneiden natuerlicher Ueberflutungsgebiete duerften das dramatische
Hochwasser in Bayern verschaerft haben. Dies ver-muten Experten des WWF-Auen-Instituts
in Rastatt.
Nach Aussage von Dipl.-Ing. Georg Rast, WWF-Referent
fuer Wasserbau, liegt Neustadt, wo am Montag ein Deich gebrochen war, unterhalb
einer Reihe von Staustufen. "Moeglicherweise war die Hochwasserwelle unnatuerlich
hoch, weil es entlang dieser Staustufen kaum Rueckhalteflaechen gibt, in
die sich das Wasser verlaufen konnte", vermutete Rast. "Diesem Druck hielten
die Dei-che bei Neustadt schliesslich nicht stand." Doch die Fluesse Donau,
Lech und Iller sind von aus-gedehnten ehemaligen Auengebieten gesaeumt,
in die das Wasser einst ausweichen konnte. "Heute ist das nicht mehr moeglich,
diese natuerlichen Rueckhalteflaechen sind groesstenteils durch Deiche
vom Fluss abgeschnitten", erklaerte Rast.
Gerade diese Flussauen bieten jedoch eine einmalige Chance,
den Hochwasserschutz zu optimie-ren, indem man technische Massnahmen mit
oekologischen verbindet. "Die Politiker sollten diese Chance nutzen und
das Geschehene nicht wieder mit ihrer Entschaedigungsphilosophie ad acta
legen", forderte Rast. Er raeumte ein, dass dies schmerzhafte Entscheidungen
und Opfer von allen Flussanliegern verlange. "Immerhin wuerde eine solche
Loesung jedoch die Schaeden im Katastro-phenfall vermindern, die immer
wieder Einzelne hart treffen", schloss Rast. Zudem forderte der WWF die
Landesregierung von Bayern auf, zu ueberpruefen, inwieweit die Staustufen
das Hoch-wasser in Neustadt und Passau kuenstlich verschaerft haben. Bereits
existierende Ansaetze fuer Auenrenaturierungen und oekologischen Hochwasserschutz
sollten kuenftig gefoerdert werden.
Dass die Einbindung von Auwaeldern in den Hochwasserschutz
moeglich ist, zeigt eine vom WWF fuer die Stadt Ingolstadt durchgefuehrte
Planung. Dort soll eine Auwaldflaeche von etwa 1 400 Hektar renaturiert,
d.h. wieder an den Fluss angebunden werden. Sie kann so kuenftig besser
als natuerlicher Rueckhalteraum bei Hochwasser genutzt werden.
Weitere Informationen erhalten Sie bei
Anja Rech, Pressereferentin im WWF-Auen-Institut
Tel. 07222/38 07-14, Fax -99
oder Georg Rast, Handy 0170/344 38 80
Internet: http://www.wwf.de
27.05.99 : Chinese premier breaches silence
on Three Gorges Dam failures
NOTES ON CHINA by JASPER BECKER
Premier Zhu Rongji made the first public criticism
of the Three Gorges Dam project in Monday's People's
Daily, admitting all the assumptions about resettlement
had been misplaced.
For Dai Qing , the dam's most vocal opponent,
now in the United States, it was a rare moment
of triumph.
"In 1987, the Propaganda Department issued
an edict forbidding anyone to publish articles
opposing the
project," she said. "Now the Premier himself has
criticised it."
From the beginning, she and others had
been infuriated by the way the dam's proponents
had
justified the scheme by "lying" about the facts. She
quoted Li Boning, the chief advocate, as saying: "We
must be careful about the figures we cite since they
could become a bullet used by opponents."
Critics say the dam-builders deliberately
covered up the number of people who would be
displaced and how
they could be resettled.
"It has always been our view that it is impossible
to relocate so many people," Ms Dai said. Proponents
have also turned out to be wrong about the cost of the
dam which, in 1990, was supposed to be 90 billion yuan
(HK$83.7 billion) and is now reported to be heading
past 200 billion yuan.
In private conversations, Chinese officials
have told Western diplomats it will certainly
end up
costing two, even three times as much. When the
project was approved in 1992, Li Peng , then premier,
confidently claimed China needed no outside help.
But this year it was publicly admitted
the state was already running short of funds
and must raise the
money abroad.
Advocates also rejected opinion that the
dam would cause rapid silting and threaten an
environmental
catastrophe.
This week, the China Economic Times said all
efforts to stop soil erosion in the upper reaches had
not only failed but the problem was getting worse.
In 1991, Li Boning said only 725,000 people
would need to be resettled, although other experts
talked of
1.8 million by 2012.
Of the 725,000, half were peasants who would have
no problems because there was "upwards of 20 million
mu (1.3 million hectares) of undeveloped land" in the
region, he said.
Trial projects had proved resettlement would
be easy and just 500,000 mu of reasonable quality
land was all
that was required.
Now Mr Zhu has admitted there was no such
land for the peasants, who will number more than
one million.
Li Boning had said peasants whose land
would be flooded could move up hills and on to
terraces.
Mr Zhu recognised this was impossible
because the land was too steep. He had banned
building terraces on
slopes of more than 25 degrees because any steeper
would cause soil erosion, not only endangering the
reservoir but threatening worse floods downstream.
"This is what we always said," said Ms Dai.
The result was that the 550,000 people
who must be
moved in the next stage of the project would have to
be given land in other provinces.
Initial attempts to resettle displaced
people in provinces like Xinjiang, Hainan, Hunan
and Henan had
been a failure.
A retired official and long-term dam supporter
rejected criticism of the earlier plans.
He said: "We can surely find one million
mu of proper land in the area and build terraces
to grow
citrus trees and other crops. After all there is
nearly 20 million mu of land to choose from."
Trials carried out over eight years had
proved this method was effective. He warned
the alternative,
moving the displaced people elsewhere, had proved
disastrous in the past.
"The lessons from reservoir dams on Sanmenxia,
Xinanjiang and Dangjiangkou is that large groups of
displaced people have, in the end, always returned to
their old homes."
So far, the authorities in the Three Gorges
area, in Sichuan province, have managed to relocate
only
150,000 people in six years since 1992.
If Premier Zhu wants to move 550,000 people by 2003,
when the reservoir waters rise 135 metres, 100,000
people a year will have to be relocated.
In 1991, Li Boning said creating new jobs for
citizens of small towns that would be submerged would
be easy.
But Mr Zhu also overturned this projection
and said industrial enterprises would not be
moved and rebuilt
because most were bankrupt and their machinery was
outdated.
for more informations: doris Shen
<threegorges@irn.org>
20.05.99 : Live- Blick ins Storchennest in
den March- Auen (WWF)
Vogelbeobachtung bekommt eine ganz neue Qualitaet.
Internet User sind jetzt hautnah am Geschehen im Storchenhorst in den March-Auen.
Den sensationellen Blick ins Privatleben von Familie Storch ermoeglichen
WWF Oesterreich und der Internet Provider ARGE DATEN, der das Projekt sponsert
und die technische Infrastruktur zur Verfuegung stellt. Bis Ende Juli sind
Storchenfreunde immer live dabei, wenn die Stoerche brueten, ihre Jungen
schluepfen und fluegge werden. Real Video erlaubt die Beobachtung des Verhaltens;
fuer Detailbeobachtungen steht ein minuetlich aktualisiertes, hochaufloesendes
Standbild zur Verfuegung.
Weitere Informationen und der Link zur Webcam:
http://www.wwf.de/c_bibliothek/c_presse/c_presse_newsarchiv/c_pm_9905/c_presse_pm_990520a.html
oder http://www.wwf.at/stoerche/index.html
19.05.99 : UN Foundation
Announces Million-Dollar Funding
For Partnership in Global Policymaking on Dams
Today the UN Foundation, Inc., created by CNN founder
Ted
Turner, announced a grant of US$1.7 million to support
the partnership
initiative of the World Commission on Dams and the UN
Environment
Programme.
This donation is in keeping with the Foundation's goal
of encouraging
international co-operation, through the United Nations,
on environmental
and other global issues. UNEP, the UN's principal
environmental agency,
and the Commission have joined in a groundbreaking exercise
in global
public policymaking on sustainable management of the
planet's finite
water resources.
In announcing the grant, UN Foundation President Timothy
Wirth said:
"This partnership brings the UN into an exciting collaboration
with
business, activist groups, non-governmental organizations,
government,
indigenous peoples' groups and international agencies
that are
represented in the World Commission on Dams. These kinds
of
public-private partnerships are a promising means for
working together
on difficult, cross-cutting global challenges."
"The United Nations has a strong commitment to strengthening
multi-stakeholder processes in international policymaking,"
said UNEP
Executive Director Klaus Toepfer. "The WCD experience
challenges
international organizations to re-think institutional
structures and
processes, to become more participatory."
Commented the WCD Chair, Professor Kader Asmal: "The UN
Foundation's
support for this partnership signals the international
community's
interest in developing effective conflict resolution
processes. These
are desperately needed in seemingly intractable disputes
such as those
over dams."
Of the $1.7 million, $800,000 is a lump sum grant to the
partnership.
The remainder is a 'challenge grant' through which the
Foundation will
match every dollar the partnership raises from other
sources, up to a
total of $900,000. First to accept the challenge is the
international
engineering firm ABB Asea Brown Boveri Ltd. ABB will
contribute
US$200,000 under the matching facility, doubling its
previous donation
to the Commission.
"Public-private partnerships are key to finding solutions
to difficult
issues related to sustainable development," said Göran
Lindahl,
President and CEO of ABB and a member of the World Commission
on Dams.
"The Commission's work, as a representative process,
is vital to
addressing the issue of large dams in the context of
sustainable
development. I encourage others in industry, NGOs and
foundations to
invest in this ground-breaking venture."
...2
The issues
The planet's limited water resources are subject to increasingly
competitive demands. Population growth and unequal access
to the
resource exacerbate tensions over the water needed to
provide for energy
and food security, while maintaining river ecosystems.
The world's
45,000 large dams (meaning those over 15 meters in height)
are an
important yet controversial aspect of sustainable, equitable
management
of water: they can provide development benefits in terms
of hydro-power,
water supply, irrigation and flood control but there
also are costs in
human, economic, and environmental terms (eg loss of
land and
biodiversity when valleys are flooded as dam reservoirs).
The public debate on large dams has been characterized
by intense
disagreement between advocates and opponents over the
costs and benefits
of dams. To break the resultant stalemate, the IUCN-World
Conservation
Union and the World Bank brokered a meeting of pro- and
anti-dam
interests in Gland, Switzerland in April 1997. The parties
took the
surprising step of unanimously agreeing to collaborate
in creating an
independent World Commission on Dams.
The Commission's two-year mandate is to research and make
recommendations on tough social, environmental, economic
and
institutional questions surrounding dams in the context
of sustainable
development, and to assess alternatives to dams. The
12 Commissioners
are eminent leaders from the fields of business, civil
society, academia
and government. Their final report will be issued in
mid-2000.
The partnership
"Rather than duplicate efforts, the Commission and UNEP
are building on
each other's strengths in these difficult questions of
sustainable water
management," said Professor Asmal. He is also South Africa's
Minister of
Water Affairs and Forestry and an internationally-recognized
human
rights advocate. "The Commission will profit from UNEP's
strategic role
in the global environmental policy arena and its considerable
in-house
expertise. Together our efforts will bolster the Conventions
on Climate
Change and Biodiversity as well as Agenda 21, the strategy
that emerged
from the Rio Earth Summit in 1992."
Said Dr. Toepfer: "Two major UNEP concerns are the conservation
and
sustainable use of freshwater supplies, and the promotion
of
environmentally-acceptable forms of energy. In those
two contexts, dams
pose both solutions and problems, so we'll learn a great
deal from the
WCD's research program and its final conclusions."
This is one of a number of strategic partnerships the
WCD has undertaken
to widen its support base and the scope and impact of
its work. It
recently organized the first meeting of its advisory
Forum, made up of
55 NGOs, governments, donors, utilities, indigenous peoples'
groups,
international organizations, researchers and bankers.
It also has broken
new ground in attracting no-strings-attached financial
contributions
from 26 donors from all sides of the dams debate.
Added Prof. Asmal: "The Commission closes shop after disseminating
its
report in 2000. That makes our strategic partnerships
all the more
important, to ensure our recommendations live on rather
than gathering
dust on a shelf."
ENDS
For further information, please consult the UN Foundation
website
http:/www.unfoundation.org,
the WCD website at http://www.dams.org
, and the UNEP website at http://www.unep.org
.
For general media enquiries regarding the WCD, please
contact :
Kate Dunn
Senior Advisor - Communications, Media and Outreach
World Commission on Dams
PO Box 16002
Vlaeberg, Cape Town 8018
Phone: 27 21 426 4000; cell 27 83 326 8825;
Fax: 27 21 426 0036
mailto:kdunn@dams.org
Website: http://www.dams.org
17.05.99 : South Africa: RIVERS
ASSOCIATION OPPOSES DAMMING OF RIVERS
The Southern African Rivers Association (Sara) on Tuesday
called on Water
Affairs Minister Kader Asmal to declare publicly before
the June 2 election
that no more large dams would be ratified or built until
alternatives had
been studied.
In a statement Sara national administrator Graeme Addison
said the
organisation was opposed to the building of new large
dams on the Tugela and
Bushman's rivers in central KwaZulu-Natal. He called
on Asmal to seek
alternatives to "the destruction of South Africa's wild
and scenic
waterways".
"Sara calls upon (Asmal), who is president of the World
Commission on Dams,
to declare publicly in the run-up to the general election
that no more large
dams will be ratified or built before the technical and
policy alternatives
have been studied and reported on.
"We suggest that a national commission be appointed and
that amongst other
things it should designate river courses that may not
be touched by damming
or other constructions," Addison said.
He said it was not in the national interest to impound
any undammed rivers.
"No matter how many dams are built, the country will
run out of water within
20 to 40 years at current rates of water wastage."
The association said water recycling, desalination of
the sea, and demand
side management to limit water usage, were sensible alternatives
to damming.
from: South Africa Press Association news service:
transmitted by : lori@irn.org (Lori Pottinger)
16.05.99 : Bilanz: Hochwasserschutz muss
auf Pruefstand ! Mehr natuerliche Ueberflutungsflaechen noetig /
Hessen in die Pflicht nehmen (WWF-Bilanz)
Rastatt, 17. Mai 1999. Zwei grundlegende Maengel in der
Hochwasserschutzpolitik der Laender stellte der WWF bei der Bilanzierung
der letzten Flut fest: Die geplanten Rueckhalteraeume reichen bei weitem
nicht aus, und die Planung wird zu langsam umgesetzt. "Der unnatuerlichen
Haeufung von Spitzenhochwassern kann man nur begegnen, indem man grossraeumig
moeglichst naturnahe Ueberflutungsgebiete schafft", sagte Prof. Emil Dister,
der Leiter des WWF-Auen-Instituts in Rastatt.
Der WWF fordert daher die Bundeslaender Baden-Wuerttemberg,
Rheinland-Pfalz und Hessen auf, die Grundlagen ihrer Hochwasserschutzplanung
auf den Pruefstand zustellen. "Es muss", so betonte Dister, "zu einer Neubewertung
der Landnutzung entlang des gesamten Oberrheins kommen." Nach Ansicht des
WWF muessen grosse Flaechen aus der landwirtschaftlichen Nutzung genommen
und fuer Hochwasserschutz, Auenentwicklung und Erholung freigemacht werden,
so wie es ansatzweise in Rheinland-Pfalz versucht wird. Ausdruecklich forderte
der WWF das Land Hessen auf, seine Verweigerungshaltung beim Hochwasserschutz
aufzugeben.
"Zeithorizonte wie das Jahr 2015, das von der Politik
fuer die Fertigstellung der vertraglich vereinbarten Hochwasserschutzmassnahmengenannt
wird, kann man sich nicht mehr leisten", kritisierte Dister. Rund 20.000
ha Ueberflutungsflaechen seien am Oberrhein nachUntersuchungen des WWF-Auen-Institutes
zu gewinnen, wenn man dies politisch wolle. "Der Ansatz, mit einem Minimum
an Flaeche und einem Maximum an Technik dem Hochwasserproblem zu begegnen,
ist grundfalsch, wie sich immer deutlicher zeigt", mahnte der Auenexperte.
Wie Dister weiter erlaeuterte, werden weit mehr Rueckhalteflaechen
gebraucht als bisher angenommen, denn mit Wassermengen von 5000 Kubikmeter
pro Sekunde am Pegel Basel hatte man bisher nicht gerechnet. "Dieses Mal
sind wir nur deswegen mit einem blauen Auge davongekommen, weil die Nebenfluesse
des Oberrheins kein Hochwasser fuehrten", erklaerte Dister. "Fast alle
verfuegbaren Rueckhalteraeume zwischen Basel und Karlsruhe waren bereits
geflutet", fuegte er hinzu. Waeren nur aus dem Neckar noch 2000 Kubikmeter
pro Sekunde hinzukommen, was im Februar 1990, im Dezember 1993 und im April
1994 deutlich ueberboten wurde, waeren die Staedte Mannheim, Ludwigshafen
und Worms ernsthaft bedroht gewesen.
Weitere Informationen erhalten Sie bei
Anja Rech, Pressereferentin im WWF-Auen-Institut
Tel. 07222/38 07-14, Fax -99
oder Handy 0171/5 89 72 26
oder unter http://www.wwf.de
14.05.99 : Schweiz : Kein Stausee im Val
Curciusa
Tages Anzeiger Autor: Hannes Nussbaumer
Die Misoxer Kraftwerke verzichten auf den Bau des Pumpspeicherwerks
Curciusa. Der Widerstand der Umweltverbände hat Wirkung gezeigt.
Fünfzehn Jahre währte die Auseinandersetzung
um den Bau eines Pumpspeicherwerks im Val Curciusa zwischen Splügen-
und San-Bernardino-Pass. Am Mittwoch gab die Muttergesellschaft der Misoxer
Kraftwerke, die Elektrizitätsgesellschaft Laufenburg, bekannt, auf
die Konzession für das Werk verzichten zu wollen. Die steigenden Projektkosten
und die Ungewissheit über die Auswirkungen des liberalisierten Strommarkts
hätten die Situation für das Projekt Curciusa "drastisch verändert".
Dass das 580 Millionen teure Projekt allmählich "in Schieflage geraten
und unwirtschaftlich geworden ist", wie sich Geschäftsleitungsmitglied
Alex Niederberger ausdrückte, ist der Triumph der Umweltorganisationen.
Nach den gewonnenen Auseinandersetzungen um die Greina-Hochebene
und um das Val Madris ist die Erhaltung des Val Curciusa und der durch
das Projekt bedrohten Auenwälder im Misox ein weiterer grosser Erfolg
der Umweltverbände. Sie haben die von der Bündner Regierung 1989
erteilte Konzession beim Bundesgericht erfolgreich angefochten. Das Gericht
wies den Fall zur Neubeurteilung an die kantonale Behörde zurück.
Darauf leitete der Kanton 1995 ein zweites Genehmigungsverfahren ein, auf
welches die Umweltverbände mit einer weiteren Beschwerde reagierten.
Der Entscheid der Elektrizitätsgesellschaft kommt
dem Bundesgerichtsurteil jetzt zuvor - zum Leidwesen des Bündner Baudirektors
Stefan Engler. Er sei "etwas enttäuscht über den Zeitpunkt des
Entscheids", da er sich vom Bundesgericht Antwort auf "zahlreiche Fragen"
erhofft habe. "Das Urteil hätte geklärt, was quantitativer Gewässerschutz
ist und welche Bedeutung der positiven Energiebilanz zukommt."
Die Bündner Regierung bedauert den Entscheid der
Elektrizitätsgesellschaft, "vor allem aus energie- und volkswirtschaftlicher
Sicht". Beim Curciusa-Werk habe es sich um ein umweltverträgliches
Projekt gehandelt, von dem das wirtschaftlich schwache Misox profitiert
hätte, sagte Stefan Engler. Angesichts der veränderten Bedingungen
könne er den Entscheid der Elektrizitätsgesellschaft verstehen,
finde ihn aber zu kurzfristig gedacht: "Als erneuerbare Energie hat Wasserkraft
Zukunft", gibt er sich überzeugt.
Das eigentliche Drama
Kein Verständnis für das Bedauern der Regierung
hat Kaspar Schuler vom WWF Graubünden. Mit dem Verzicht werde nicht
nur eine grossartige Landschaft gerettet, hinzu komme, "dass wir keine
weitere nicht amortisierbare Investition an den Hals bekommen". Im liberalisierten
Strommarkt hätte Curciusa unmöglich rentieren können, meint
Schuler.
Bleibt das "eigentliche Drama der Geschichte" (Schuler):
die Situation der Gemeinden im Misox. Die Regierung habe in der Hoffnung
auf Steuererträge alle Warnungen ignoriert, wonach "die Elektrizitätsgesellschaft
Laufenburg am Abschleichen" sei; sie habe den Gemeinden suggeriert, dass
das Werk gebaut werde, sagt Kaspar Schuler. Drei Jahre lang hätten
die Umweltverbände die Gemeinden zum Verzicht auf das Kraftwerk und
auf die mit ihm verbundenen Wasserzinsen zu bewegen versucht. Wären
sie darauf eingetreten, hätten sie dafür Ausgleichszahlungen
erhalten.
Keine Ausgleichszahlungen
Da diese Zahlungen an der Realisierungswahrscheinlichkeit
eines Projekts bemessen werden, stehen die Gemeinden jetzt vor einem Scherbenhaufen.
Sie werden weder das Pumpspeicherwerk samt Arbeitsplätzen noch die
Wasserzinsen erhalten. Und weil die Realisierungschance auf null gesunken
ist, besteht auch das Recht auf Ausgleichszahlungen nicht mehr - zumindest
in diesem Punkt sind sich Kaspar Schuler und Stefan Engler einig. Im Gegensatz
zu den betroffenen Gemeinden, die angekündigt haben, sich damit nicht
abfinden zu wollen.
12.05.99 : Norway: Foe requests urgent help
to save the Upper Otta River
Urgent call for support!
Friends of the Earth Norway (Norges Naturvernforbund)
requests urgent
help to save the Upper Otta River from hydroelectric
power
exploitation. You can do this by endorsing the enclosed
appeal/protest to the members of the Norwegian Parliament
(Stortinget) and the political parties of Norway. Please,
send your
endorsement no later than Friday May 16th by e-mail (or
by fax) directly to
Friends of the Earth Norway/Norges Naturvernforbund
Save the Upper Otta Campaign
E-mail: naturvern@naturvern.no
Fax: +47 22 40 24 10
We will pass on your messages to the Parliament and the
political
parties.
Please find enclosed
A) the appeal we request you to endorse
B) short background information
For more information, please contact Kåre Olerud
or Tore Braend.
-
A. APPEAL
To: The representatvies of Norway's Parliament
The political parties of Norway
Save Upper Otta
We appeal to you to reject the plans to exploit The Upper
Otta River
system for hydroelectric power production.
The fate of Upper Otta is of great international concern.
Upper Otta
is a unique part of Norway's nature and thereby also
a unique part of
the world's common natural heritage.
We appeal to you to give Upper Otta and its tributaries
status as
permanently protected rivers and secure the rivers and
the
surrounding landscape for future generations.
Yours, sincerely
Name of signatory:
Date:
City, country:
Organisation:
BACKGROUND
Save Upper Otta
Partly in wilderness, in an area of mountains, forests
and culture
landscape, there are plans to construct a big hydroelectric
power
plant. The river is known as the Upper Otta river, and
it is located
in the Gudbrandsdalen valley between Oslo and Trondheim
in the
heart of Eastern Norway.
Upper Otta and its tributaries constitute a part of Norway's
last
few, relatively untouched watercourses with several waterfalls
and
other unique qualities. This may now be exploited for
hydroelectric
power production.
39 kilometres of tunnels in the mountain are planned to
lead the
water away from 7 rivers and to two power stations. For
long periods
of time there will be practically no water in 5 waterfalls
and long
stretches of the main river and its tributaries. New
power lines
will keep one of Europe's last stocks of wild reindeer
away from
important feeding areas.
These plans are one of the most serious threats to Norway's
nature
and one of the most important challenges Friends of the
Earth
Norway/Norges Naturvernforbund is facing at present.
The outcome is
uncertain, but we fight to win. We know that international
support
is important in such cases and we would be most grateful
for your
support. Please help us to Save Upper Otta. We thank
you in advance.
Regards,
Erik Solheim, President
Joerund U. Soma, Secretary General
Kåre Olerud, Head of Information
--- REPLY TO: info@foeint.antenna.nl ---
ann doherty, information officer
friends of the earth international
po box 19199, 1000 gd amsterdam, the netherlands
tel 31 20 6221369 fax 31 20 6392181
www: www.xs4all.nl/~foeint
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 