Text :
04.01.2000 : Marée noire en
France: site spécial marée noire et souscription "oiseaux"
. Nous relayons un message de Bretagne Vivante
- SEPN participe au ramassage
des oiseaux mazoutés dans le cadre du dispostif
coordonné par la LPO.
Nous attendons vos dons. D'après les derniers
comptages, le nombre total d'oiseaux morts est d'ores
et déjà supérieur à celui
recensé lors du naufrage de l'Amoco Cadiz : oiseaux marins
(fous de bassan et guillemots essentiellement) mais aussi
oiseaux côtiers (limicoles, laridés, canards de tte sortes,
bernaches...). Le petit traict et le grand traict du
croisic sont pollués
(les ostreiculteurs sont contents)
, la Baie de Bourgneuf idem et cerise sur le gateau,
lourde menace sur
l'estuaire de la Loire (si le pétrole touche le
ban de Bilho on assistera à une belle hécatombe).
Merci Total et Joyeuses Fêtes !!!!
Pour les nantais : si la presqu'ile guérandaise
est correctement couverte, nous
manquons de monde pour jouer les ambulances à
oiseaux sur le Pays de Retz :
avis aux amateurs ! Si vous connaissez des vétos
en Sud Loire capables d'épauler l'Ecole Véto de Nantes, faites-signes
!
special website marée noire : http://lpo.lpo44.free.fr
Amtiés à tous
Laurent LE CORRE
33, rue Desgrées du Lou 44100 Nantes
tel: 0240690819 / 0671251459
22.12.99 : Ilisu/Turkey: Urgent plea for faxes
to be sent as soon as possible to the UK prime ministre
THIS IS AN URGENT PLEA FOR FAXES TO BE SENT AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE TO THE UK
PRIME MINISTER PROTESTING THE DECISION TO GIVE CONDITIONAL
APPROVAL FOR AN
EXPORT CREDIT FOR THE ILISU DAM IN TURKEY. IF YOU GET
THIS AFTER THE NEW
YEAR< PLEASE STILL SEND IT. IT WON'T BE TOO
LATE.
THE DECISION HAS BEEN PUSHED THROUGH BY TONY
BLAIR, AGAINST OPPOSITION BY SEVERAL UK GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS.
PROTEST
LETTERS WILL MAKE REAL DIFFERENCE - GIVING MORE INFLUENCE
TO THOSE WITHIN
GOVERNMENT OPPOSED TO THE PROJECT.
more information:
letter and background
more information about the
project
ERN Tel. 0033 (0)4 71 02 08 14
Fax : 0033 (0)4 71 02 60 99
16.12.99 : Call for European NGO hearing on
WCD related issues,
16.-19 January 2000 in Bratislava
European NGOs involved in the issues of dam-building,
in Europe and outside Europe, are invited to take part in a meeting planned
for January 16th-19th in Bratislava.
The main aims of this hearing, organized by Friends of
the Earth Slovakia, are to strengthen the cooperation between European
organizations working on dams-related problems and to bring the concern
of European NGOs community to the attention of the World Commission on
Dams, which is due to report in 2000.
detailed programm and invitation and registering
13.12.99 : Protestkundgebung : 50 jahre Hermesbürgschaften
14.12. ROTES RATHAUS BERLIN UM 10:15 UHR
(Ecke Spandauer Str./Rathausstr, U-Bahn Alexanderplatz)
Am 14.12. feiert die Bundesregierung gemeinsam mit Vertretern
der
Exportwirtschaft und der Banken den fünfzigsten
Geburtstag ihres
wichtigsten Exportförderinstrumentes - den Hermesbürgschaften.
Organisationen der Umwelt-, Menschenrechts- und Friedensbewegung
werden
diesen "Festtag" auf ihre Art begehen: mit einer Protestkundgebung
am roten
Rathaus in Berlin-Mitte. Denn seit fünfzig Jahren
werden mit Hermes
deutsche Steuergelder dafür eingesetzt, Waffenlieferungen,
Großstaudämme,
Atomkraftwerke und andere Projekte abzusichern, die schwere
Schäden an
Mensch und Umwelt hervorrufen.
Rot-Grün hatte zwar in ihrem Koalitionsvertrag versprochen,
eine Reform der
Vergabe von Hermesbürgschaften einzuführen.
Dieses Versprechen scheint
jedoch bereits vergessen. Denn die Bundesregierung will
trotzdem
Bürgschaften für:
o den Maheshwar-Staudamm im indischen Narmada-Tal vergeben,
der Haus
und Hof von 40.000 Kleinbauern überfluten wird.
o den Ilisu-Staudamm in der Türkei erteilen, der
fast 100 Dörfer und
Kleinstädte in Kurdistan überfluten wird und
die Türkei in die Lage
versetzt über Monate hinweg, seinen Nachbarn in
Syrien und Iraq das Wasser
abzudrehen.
o die maroden Atomkraftwerke Khelmnitzky 2 und Rivne
4 in der Ukraine
übernehmen, obwohl diese Projekte eine ernste Sicherheitsgefahr
für die
Bevölkerung darstellen.
Die Hermes-Reform Kampagne, die von über 100 Umwelt-,
Menschenrechts- und
entwicklungspolitischen Gruppen getragen wird, möchte
Sie deshalb einladen,
gemeinsam mit uns am 14. Dezember eine große "Anti-Geburtstags
Party" für
Hermes zu veranstalten. Es ist unverantwortlich, daß
Steuergelder des
Bundes ver(sch)wendet werden, um die Beteiligung deutscher
Firmen an
zerstörerischen Großprojekten in der Dritten
Welt und Ost-Europa
abzusichern. Wir fordern die Einführung von ökologischen,
friedenspolitischen und sozialen Standards für die
Vergabe solcher
Bürgschaften.
Wir würden uns freuen, wenn Sie an der Protestkundgebung
teilnehmen und
auch Ihre Freunde und Bekannten mobilisieren, so daß
wir gemeinsam am 14.
Dezember den Herrschaften signalisieren, daß 50
Jahre mehr als genug sind.
HERMES-REFORM JETZT!!
___________________URGEWALD_________________________________
Urgewald e.V.
Von-Galen-Strasse 4
D-48336 Sassenberg
Germany
Fon: +49 (0)2583 1031
Fax: +49 (0)2583 4220
Email: urgewald@koeln.netsurf.de
09.12.99 : WWF kritisiert erneuten Vorfall im
spanischen Naturpark Doñana
Vogelschutzgebiet wieder von Schadstoffen bedroht / WWF:
Politiker muessen Verantwortung uebernehmen
Rastatt, 8. Dezember 1999. Die Schaeden vom letzten Unglueck
sind noch lange nicht beseitigt, da ist eines der wichtigsten Naturparadiese
Europas, der spanische Nationalpark Coto Doñana, wieder von Schadstoffen
bedroht. Ein Fluss, der durch das Schutzgebiet fliesst, ist durch oelhaltiges
Abwasser verseucht. Der World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) fordert, dass
Politiker endlich die Verantwortung uebernehmen, statt sie wie bisher zwischen
Zentralregierung und Regionalverwaltung hin- und herzuschieben.
Ursache der Verschmutzung sind organische Rueckstaende
der Oel- und Olivenproduktion, die illegal in den Fluss Guadiamar geleitet
wurden. „Der Fluss ist auf mehreren Kilometern Strecke immer noch schwarz“,
sagte Guido Schmidt, der fuer den WWF die Renaturierung im ehemaligen Katastrophengebiet
betreut. Zwar sei diese Verschmutzung nicht mit dem Unglueck von April
1998 zu vergleichen, doch zeige sie, wie schlecht es immer noch um den
Schutz der Gewaesser stehe. „Der Guadiamar ist der am besten kontrollierte
Fluss Spaniens, und dennoch ist eine solche illegale Einleitung moeglich“,
kritisierte Schmidt. Nach Angaben von WWF und der regionalen Umweltorganisation
„Ecologistas en Acción“ liege dies vor allem daran, dass die Zustaendigkeiten
fuer den Schutz der Fluesse zwischen dem Umweltministerium in Madrid und
der andalusischen Umweltbehoerde hin- und hergereicht wuerden. „Im Zweifel
ist dann niemand zustaendig“, erklaerte Schmidt.
Die oelhaltige Schmutzschicht verursacht im Gewaesser
Sauerstoffmangel. Nach Angaben der Zeitung Domingo ist der Sauerstoffgehalt
bereits von 5% auf etwa 0,1% gesunken. Dies gefaehrdet Tiere und Pflanzen
im Wasser. Ausserdem beeintraechtigen die Rueckstaende die Renaturierungsarbeiten,
welche die Folgen des schweren Ungluecks vom letzten Jahr beseitigen sollen.
So war fuer letzte Woche eine Aufforstung urspruenglich geplant.
Weitere Informationen erhalten Sie bei:
Guido Schmidt, Referent fuer Doñana beim WWF Spanien,
Tel. ++34-67 06 01 893, email: guido@retemail.es
Anja Rech, Pressereferentin im WWF-Auen-Institut, Tel.:
0 72 22/38 07-14,
E-Mail: rech@wwf.de, Internet: www.wwf.de
****************************
Weitere Informationen unter
http://www.wwf.de
09.12.99 : People's Movements and other
Organisations in Mumbai
Strongly Condemn the attack on Narmada Bachao Andolan
We strongly condemn the barbaric act of a few miscreants,
who attacked the
Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) office at Baroda last night.
We are clear that the hysterical atmosphere created in
the state by the
Government and other politicians have incited these few
to take law into
their hands. Instead of having a meaningful dialogue
with NBA with facts
and figures, turning to violence is a cowardly act. Forcefully
entering the
office with lethal weapons like knives and revolver,
injuring an activist
and burning valuable documents is no way to deal with
a non-violent
movement like NBA.
We wonder, is this the real Kar Seva which the likes of
Sharad Joshi wanted
to perform? This is the continuation of earlier
attack on NBA office on
March 21, 1994, where MLA, Mayor and others of both BJP
and Congress burned
valuable files and destroyed materials.
We mince no words to condemn this fascist action, overtly
or covertly
scripted and performed by the State and a few politicians,
in this eve of
Human Rights Day.
1. Mihir Desai Indian Centre
for Human Rights and Law
2. Deepak Mepani
Kutch Development Forum
3. Deepika - Indian Peopleís
Tribunal on Environment and Human Rights
4. Adv.Collin Gonsalvis
Human Right Law Network
5. Mahendra Singh
National Alliance of People's Movements
6. Rajan Singh Adivasi
Rights Law Network
7. Rajendra Sail
INSAF
8. Hasina Khan Awaz-E-Niswan
9. Ashok Kumar - Save Western
Ghats Movement
10. Bharat Mansatta Earthcare
Books
11. Kavita YUVA
12. Shanawas Pathan Manav
Mukthi Morcha, Maharashtra
13. Vasudev Juvatkar Footpathwasi
Nagarik Sangathan
14. Sandeep Yeole Ferrywalla
Vikas Mahasangh
15. Vineeta Mansatta Intranet
16. Ulka Mahajan Soshit
Jan Andolan
17. Bhavani Sashtri Students
Action Committee
18. Jagdeesh Khairalia
Samajwadi Jan Parishad
19. Aravinda / Ravi AID,
India
20. Kiran Prerana
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Susanne Wong
Campaigns Assistant
International Rivers Network
1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA 94703
Tel: 1.510.848.1155 ext 316
Fax: 1.510.848.1008
web: www.irn.org
email: swong@irn.org
09.12.99 : Narmada India : Armed thugs attack
NBA office : office ransacked, document destroyed
Early today morning (9 ecember 1999), at about 2:20 AM
(i.e. the night of
8 December), some 6 micreants carrying knives and revolver
got into the
NBA office in Baroda ad burnt a few files, threw some
out of the window
and stole Rs. 20,000. Ths happened when activist Raghu
was alone in the
office. Hearing a knock, hinking that it is already morning,
he opened the
door and he was pushedto a corner and the intruders and
covered him with a
few blankets and razzaiie - mildly assaulting him and
asked him not to
move. Then they went inthe inside room and ransacked
the place. The actual
loss of documents is bein assessed. As per message last
received from
Baroda, Nandini and Sukuar had reached there. The police
too had reached
and were investigating.
It should be noted that the NBA has been receiving several
threats in the
last few months. These have been reported to the police
but they have
failed to take any action. In the first week of November
an anonymous
caller called twice and asked that the Baroda office
be immediately
vacated, else it would be "destroyed". A compliant was
made to the police
but no action has been taken. Earlier, a well known religious
leader Swami
Satchidanand had called on the police to kill NBA activists
in "encounters"
. This was done at a public function - the inauguration
of the boiler of a
sugar factory in the SSP command. A complaint has been
filed with the
police but no action is seen.
It is clearly the lack of any action by Gujarat Government
that has
emboldened the thugs to carry out their attack in such
a blatant manner.
Indeed, the way those involved in the earlier attack on
NBA office (in
1994) were allowed to go scotfree by the Gujarat Government,
it is a signal
that the Gujarat Government is sending that it will look
the other way and
allow such things to continue. The miscreants have clearly
assumed that the
tacit support of the Gujarat Government will back them
up and given the
past events, it is not an incorrect conclusion.
It may be recalled that earlier this year, when noted
writer Arundhati
Roy's book on the Narmada, "The Greater Common Good"
was published, certain
political organisations had burnt copies of it in Gujarat,
and then
threatened bookstores not to stock it or face arson.
The Gujarat Government
took no action against this public threat.
Yesterday's incident of attack on the office once again
highlights the
attempts by certain elements in Gujarat to use terror
tactics to suppress
any open discussion and debate on Narmada. These handful
of people can get
away with such actions only because of clear if tacit
support from the
Gujarat Government and police. They have been further
emboldened by the
clear signals given by the Gujarat Government in the
last few months as is
seen from the above discussed events.
REQUEST FOR ACTION
--------------------------------------
We request all those who are concerned about the lack
of democratic space
in Gujarat to write immediately to the CHIEF MINISTER
Gujarat Government
condemning the incident as also the inaction of Gujarat
Government in the
previous incidents, taking serious note of its tacit
support to such
actions, and demanding prompt, effective, and exemplary
action against the
attackers. You should also ask that the Government ensure
safety of the NBA
office in Baroda as also of the activists and to take
steps to ensure such
incidents are not repeated.
Please Also write to the PRIME MINSTER, condemning the
incident and
demanding immediate action, and to ensure safety of the
NBA office and
activists.
For more info, you can contact the Narmada Bachao Andolan's
Bombay office
at 91-22-557 4895 (Joe / Sanjay).
FAXES/ADDRESSES TO SEND LETTERS TO
----------------------------
*Mr Keshubhai Patel
Chief Minister of Gujarat
Nava Sachivalaya
Gandhinagar
Gujarat, 382 010
India
Fax: +91 (2712) 22101
Mr A.B. Vajpayee
Prime Minister of India
South Block, New Delhi 110 004
INDIA
Fax: +91 (11) 301 6857/301 9817
************************
Narmada Bachao Andolan
B-13, Shivam Flats, Ellora Park, Baroda
Mumbai contacts: Parvin Jehangir 2184779, 2185832,
Mahendra Singh, Amrita,
Joe - 5574895
09.12.99 : Narmada India : Action
alert : speak out to denounce violent attack on Narmada Bachao Andolan
office
Dear Friends,
Last night, six people armed with knives and guns broke
into the office of
the Narmada Bachao Andolan in Baroda and ransacked the
office, destroying
files and assaulting an activist. The intruders threatened
that they will
not hesitate to kill if the NBA does not leave the state
of Gujarat
immediately. We urge you to speak out against the attacks
on the offices of
the NBA and the Gujarat state government's tacit support
of these actions.
Please read below for more info and press releases from
the NBA on the attacks.
Sincerely,
Shripad Dharmadhikary
Narmada Bachao Andolan
Patrick McCully
International Rivers Network
09.12.99 : World Bank told: pay up or decommission
Pak Mun
IRN PRESS RELEASE
The World Bank should pay compensation to communities
affected by the Pak
Mun Dam in Thailand, a report released today by International
Rivers
Network asserts. The report documents the Bank’s involvement
in the project
over the past decade from its earliest promises that
communities would
benefit from the project, to its current claim that Pak
Mun resettlement is
one of the best examples amongst Bank-assisted projects.
The report, The Struggle for the Mun River, states that,
“The Bank remains
accountable … [to Pak Mun communities] because of its
severely flawed
process of project development, its failure to address
subsequent impacts
of the project, and finally, its failure to ensure proper
compensation to
communities now facing unmitigated project impacts.”
The report was
released on the eve of the tenth anniversary of the Pak
Mun dam struggle.
The 136 MW Pak Mun Dam, which was completed in 1994, was
built by the
Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand with US$23
million in
financing from the World Bank. Even though the Bank only
contributed around
10 per cent of the project’s costs, it played a key role
in the
development, promotion and construction of the project.
“The Bank cannot continue to renege on its responsibilities
to dam-affected
people by claiming it played a small role in developing
these projects,”
says Ms. Aviva Imhof, one of the report’s authors and
IRN’s South-East Asia
Campaigner. “It is time for the World Bank to take responsibility
for the
role it played in the development of Pak Mun dam, own
up to its mistakes,
and ensure that people are compensated. If the Bank can’t
do this, then it
should work with the government to decommission the dam,
as the villagers
are demanding.”
For nine months, more than 3,000 villagers have been occupying
the Pak Mun
dam site and say they will stay until their demands are
met. They are
demanding 15 rai (2.4 hectares) of land per family in
compensation for
4,500 families for permanent loss of fisheries income.
Tomorrow, people
will converge on Pak Mun for tenth anniversary celebrations.
There will be
a forum with well-known Thai academics and the closing
ceremony for the Mun
River walk, a two-week journey through the Mun River
villages.
The Struggle for the Mun River shows that the Bank had
advance warning of
the project’s impacts on fisheries, public health and
the livelihoods of
villagers living around the dam site, and chose to ignore
or dismiss the
information. Contrary to World Bank policy, the environmental
impact
assessments for the project were conducted almost 10
years prior to project
approval, and contained no baseline data on fisheries,
incomes of
potentially affected people, or the number of people
who would be
resettled. Public participation was virtually non-existent.
The impacts of the dam have been remarkably close to what
was predicted by
villagers in 1990 and 1991. More than 20,000 people have
been affected by
drastic reductions in fish populations upstream of the
dam site, health
impacts, and other changes to their livelihoods.
For a copy of the full report, go to www.irn.org, or email
aviva@irn.org.
For further information contact Aviva Imhof or Chainarong
Srettachau,
Director, South-East Asia Rivers Network: Tel: 66 53
221157,
searin@loxinfo.co.th.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Struggle for the Mun River: The World Bank’s Involvement
in the Pak Mun
Dam, Thailand
For over ten years, the Mun River has been a battleground
between the World
Bank, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
(EGAT), and the more
than 20,000 people who depended on the river’s bounty
for their
livelihoods. Construction on the 136 MW hydropower project
was started in
1991 and completed in 1994, at a total cost of US$264
million.
The World Bank, while contributing only 10 per cent of
the total costs,
played a key role in the development, promotion, and
construction of this
project, and therefore has responsibility for the on-going
impacts. In
1998, the World Bank’s Operations Evaluation Department
(OED) produced a
report on the Bank’s Recent Experience with Involuntary
Resettlement. The
OED report claims that Pak Mun had “a satisfactory resettlement
outcome”
and that Pak Mun was “among the best experiences with
resettlement among
Bank-assisted projects.”
Currently over 4,500 people are living in a protest camp
at the Pak Mun dam
site. They demand that the Bank acknowledge its responsibility
for the
project’s impacts, and that the Bank pay reparations
to over 4,000 families
who have permanently lost income and food sources from
the once rich
fisheries of the Mun River. The OED report insinuates
that this unrest is
driven by greed and the desire to be included in EGAT's
"generous
compensation" to project-affected people. This
report examines this
serious allegation as well as the underlying causes of
unrest in the
project area and the World Bank's responsibility in addressing
these causes.
Poor Process of Implementation
The project suffered from such a poor process of implementation
that it is
not surprising it has been plagued by controversy since
its inception. Not
only were the environmental impact assessments for the
project conducted
almost 10 years prior to project approval, but they were
also based on
obsolete project parameters. The studies included no
baseline data on
fundamental issues such as fisheries, incomes of potentially
affected
people or even the number of people who would be resettled.
Public
participation was virtually non-existent. And throughout
this process, the
World Bank played a key role, backing up the spurious
claims of EGAT, and
failing to take into consideration the objections to
the project raised by
villagers, NGOs, technical experts, and even their own
Executive Directors.
Resettlement was handled badly. Neither EGAT nor the World
Bank knew the
number of affected households at the time of project
approval, which was
seven months after construction had begun. While in 1991
the Bank claimed
that 262 families would need to be resettled, in fact
912 families were
relocated and an additional 780 households lost part,
or all of their land.
Villagers, NGOs and scientists repeatedly warned the Bank
that the EIA
failed to include an investigation of fish species and
their migratory
patterns in the Mun and Mekong Rivers, an assessment
of the economic
benefits of the Mun river's existing fisheries, and an
investigation of the
impacts of the dam on the Mun river ecosystem. The Bank
admitted in
December 1991 that the EIA did not include “systematic
and detailed studies
of fishes and their migratory patterns”, but instead
of commissioning
additional studies, the Bank relied on the assumption
that reservoir
fisheries would result in a 50% increase in fish yield.
The irony of this
is that the Bank consistently maintained that the project
was a
run-of-river dam that would not even have a reservoir.
Community Impacts
“Pak Mun dam destroyed our river, the Mun river. The dam
destroyed our
fishing communities and our culture. To destroy a river,
to destroy
communities and culture, is a terrible thing.”
The impacts of Pak Mun dam have been remarkably close
to what was predicted
by villagers in 1990 and 1991. Formerly close and self-sufficient
communities have disintegrated. Resettlement resulted
in villages being
divided between different locations, conflicts within
villages between pro
and anti-dam forces, and families being separated as
people moved away in
search of additional income. The reservoir inundated
community forests,
pastures and riverbank vegetable gardens, affecting thousands
of people.
Fisheries have been decimated by the project. In October
1999, villagers
reported that fish catches have decreased from up to
100 kilograms per day
to virtually nothing. Whereas before the dam, fishers
reported that they
could identify 122 species of fish and 4 species of shrimp,
in 1999, they
could identify only 9 species of fish upstream of the
dam, and 9 species of
fish downstream of the dam, and only two species are
found both upstream
and downstream. Yet the World Bank OED claims there is
“no conclusive
evidence of any impact by Pak Mun Dam on fish populations,
fish catch
level, or change in composition of species in the reservoir.”
Mitigation and Compensation Measures
Throughout the struggle for the Mun River, the World
Bank and EGAT
maintained that all project-related impacts would be
mitigated, and that
villagers would be compensated for their losses. A fish
ladder would allow
fish to pass the dam. Stocking of the reservoir with
fish and shrimp would
increase fish production in the area. Villagers who had
to be resettled
would be provided with compensation which would contribute
to their
“development”.
Yet today, after a 10 year battle, villagers maintain
that they were better
off before the dam, and that if it were up to them, they
would remove the
dam and return to their old lives. Measures designed
to mitigate loss of
fisheries have proved woefully inadequate in comparison
to the natural
biodiversity of the Mun River. The compensation received
by those resettled
did not equal the replacement cost of equivalent land
and houses. Those
resettled by the dam face a struggle to survive. Many
are in debt. Some
have no land security and face jail sentences for trespass
on public
communal lands. Many thousands of people have been affected
by fisheries
losses. After a long struggle, some have received compensation
for loss of
fisheries during the three year construction period,
yet none have received
compensation for permanent losses.
CONCLUSION
The World Bank owes it to the villagers to visit the
site, listen to their
stories, and consider their demands, without the presence
of the Thai
government and EGAT. The Bank must take responsibility
for the problems now
being faced by villagers, and must work with the villagers
to find
acceptable solutions. Villagers are demanding 15 rai
of land per family in
compensation for permanent loss of fisheries, as agreed
to by the Chavalit
government. They also want solutions to the health problems
they are
currently facing. If this compensation is not forthcoming,
they want the
dam to be removed.
In the context of the current power surplus in Thailand,
it is worth
considering whether this dam, which supplies only a fraction
of Thailand’s
peaking power needs, is worth the additional investment
of $58 million that
would be required to adequately compensate communities.
If not, then the
dam should be removed and the Mun River restored. This
would satisfy the
villagers, and would be much cheaper in the long run
for the Thai government.
For a copy of the full report, go to www.irn.org, or email
Aviva Imhof,
aviva@irn.org
Aviva Imhof
South-East Asia Campaigner
International Rivers Network
1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley CA 94703 USA
Tel: + 1 510 848 1155 (ext. 312), Fax: + 1 510 848 1008
Email: aviva@irn.org, Web: http://www.irn.org
04.12.99 : NGO conference on EU water
framework directive closed..
On October the 2nd and 3rd an NGO conference on issues
of the EU water framework directive took place in Brussels, organised by
the EEB (European Environmental Biro). Representatives of different European
NGOs and research institutes discussed the most urgent issues as to be
the time frame of the directive, the approach to hazardous substances or
water prising. The currant draft of the law foresees a transition period
of 16 years with possible extensions of three times 6 years making all
together up to 34 years till a country has definitely to comply with the
set standards. Regarding the hazardous substances new amendments have to
be formulated since formulations of the currant draft may even weaken the
currently existing legislation in that field. Water prising is an issue
addressing especially countries of southern Europe with water shortage.
It is being discussed as an important tool for inaugurating more efficient
water management methods in those countries.
The deadline for amendments is the 4th of January 2000
-
Happy Christmas and a merry New Year....
From ERN, European Rivers Network,
For more information contact EEB - Brussels: eu.policy@eeb.org
25.11.99 : Israel eyes cost of tapping into
Turkish water
REUTERS
NEWS SERVICE
JERUSALEM
- Drought-stricken Israel might import
massive quantities of water from Turkey if a team of
experts appointed by Prime Minister Ehud Barak gives
the go-ahead, a Foreign Ministry official said
yesterday.
"Turkey is ready and capable to supply Israel with water
...but we will not import water if it is not economically
viable," the official said.
He said Turkey had recently completed the construction of
a water-export terminal at the mouth of a major river near
the Turkish Mediterranean city of Antalya.
A giant plastic bubble, filled with water and air, and floated
to Israel by tug boats, would be one way the water could be
brought to Israel. Another was to build an underwater
pipeline, the official said.
But the most viable option was to use oil tankers converted
to carry water, he said.
The project would go forward only if imported water from
Turkey proved to be cheaper than desalinated water.
Turkish President Suleyman Demirel has offered to supply
Israel, a close ally, with 180 million cubic metres (6.4 billion
cubic feet) of water a year.
Hebrew University water expert Hillel Shoval said water had
never been imported by a country "in the massive quantities
we are talking about".
He said Israel would need to ship in more than 100 million
cubic metres of water a year to make up its shortfall.
But Shoval said Israel should first implement a basic water
conservation programme.
"The first order of water conservation is a massive effort to
introduce water saving devices," he said, explaining that
low-flow toilets and showerheads could save Israel about 10
percent of its total water consumption.
Israel has had one of the driest years on record with the
country's largest water basin, the Sea of Galilee, drying up
and leaving barren sandbanks in its wake.
The drought has sparked concern that Israel needs to find a
long-term answer to its water woes which most experts
agree will only get worse as the population continues to
grow.
Israel and Turkey maintain close economic and military
ties. Relations have grown even stronger in recent months
after Israel sent rescue teams to Turkey following
devastating earthquakes.
Story by Megan Goldin
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
18.11.99 : Korea: Successful conference against
dam construction in Korea
ERN / Seoul/Le Puy, 5.12.99
Short report on the "Environmental NGOs' International
Symposium on Dams" - Problems of Dam Construction Policy & Alternative
Plans for the 21st Century - taking place from November, 29th to December,
2nd 1999 in Seoul (Korea), organised by the KFEM (Korean Federation of
Environmental Movements) http://kfem.or.kr
The Program is to be found under: http://kfem.or.kr/engkfem/new/1999111501.html
(in English).
This very interesting event with presence of NGOs from
Korea, Japan (Rivers!Japan), Thailand (South East Asian Rivers Network),
India (Narmada Movement), USA (IRN) and Europe (ERN) has dealt with the
Korean dam policy, the NGOs in opposition as well as the possible alternative
approaches. Koreas currant dam policy foresees the construction of further
25 middle-sized and large dams for purpose of water supply and flood control.
Koreas official water policy is still based on the classical
supply oriented principle. Water is being provided very cheap, partly even
free of charge. This has led to an uninhibited water consumption (twice
as high as in Belgium while the situation being comparable). At the same
time flood control is being performed following antiquated patterns. A
widely spread urbanisation can be observed in floodways. The inauguration
of a demand - oriented water policy, of programs for implementation of
economical water consumption as well as a pollution based water prising
are urgently required.
The represented international NGOs have decided to support
Korean anti dam campaigns (Tonga River http://kfem.or.kr/engkfem/issue/campaign.htm
and others) and adopted a resolution. Under the title "Seoul Declaration;
For Alternative Water Management in the 21st Century" the resolution points
out the main dangers of dams and calls especially for changes in water
management regarding flood control, power generation and water supply emphasising
the necessity of international collaboration of NGOs
Further Information:
At the meeting the NGOs informed about the situation
in their countries, described the official water and river policies, the
position of the NGOs regarding that and talked about their campaigns and
alternatives. Representing the ERN, Roberto Epple gave a report on campaigns
in Europe (Loire Vivante, Danube) as well as on dam decommissioning in
France and Europe (for more information regarding that see our web page).
Representatives of KFEM described which way the environmental NGOs in Korea
are preparing and co-ordinating campaigns under its leadership. The main
emphasis is put upon the very symbolic Tong River Campaign:
This is a large dam (100m high keeping up to 700 Mio m³)
at the picturesque Tonga river (basin of the Han river). The dam is planned
to serve for water supply of the Seoul agglomeration and for flood control.
The Tonga river has remained almost untouched until now
(among other animals the Otter still exists). The river is part of the
Ramsar Convention and has been acknowledged as national heritage. The construction
of this dam was already delayed by the heavy opposition by 1 to 2 years.
A final decision is expected in February or March of 2000 being taken by
a mediation commission.
Other important campaigns are run on other rivers, especially
the Talle river (bassin of the Han river). There are to be found most of
the opponents of a further dam. At the Talle river most of the municipalities
are opposing the dam project as there already are other dams on the river.
Besides of the classical effects people in the region are afraid of climatical
changes (e.g. occurrence of additional fog) with their consequences for
agricultural production and human health.
The anti dam campaigns are remarkably well organised
and show the effects. In view of the fact that Korea is still a rather
young democracy it is easy to imagine how hard the regional NGO`s job is
and how subtle therefore they have to approach the problems.
11.11.99 : Das Russian River Network RRN ist
gegruendet !
Vom 21. bis 23. Oktober 1999 haben in Nijny Novgorod (ex
Gorki) an der Wolga (Rußland) die
10. Tage der Wolga (Days of Volga) stattgefunden. Gleichzeitig
wurde unter Beteiligung von
Vertretern aus 35 Regionen der Russischen Föderation,
aus Kasakhstan,
dem European Rivers Network (Frankreich), Milieukontakt
(Niederlande) und
der Heinrich Boell Stiftung (Deutschland) das Russian
Rivers Network (RRN) gegründet.
Das Netzwerk wurde auf Initiative des Wolga-Netzwerkes
"Help the River" dem Organisator der grossartige Wolga Days
ins Leben gerufent.
ERN hat seit Jahren mit der Bewegung an der Wolga gearbeitet
und stand Pate bei der Gruendung
und wird sein russisches Gegenstueck in enger Zusammenarbeit
vor allem im Bereiche der Kommunikation
unterstuetzen. ERN hat als erstes bereits einen
neuen Nachrichtendienst in Zusammenarbeit mit RRN
in Form einer Mailliste in Russisch und Englisch in Betrieb.
Der gemeinsame Betrieb eines Mail- und Webservers sowie
Hilfe beim Aufbau eines Russland-internen Kommunikationsnetzes,
Austauschprogramme
und gemeinsame Kampagnen sind die naechsten Schritte!
Das neue Netzwerk zum Schutz der russischen Flüsse
strukturiert sich wie ERN nach Flusseinzugsgebieten
und umfaßt in einem ersten Schritt Wolga, Don,
Petschora, Tschusawaja, Katun, Ob, Amur, und den
Baikalsee sowie den Fluß Irtysch in Kasakhstan
als assoziiertes Mitglied. Der Sitz des Netwerkes befindet
sich in Nijny Novgorod (Gorki). Damit fuegt sich das
RRN (Russian Rivers Network) nahtlos in die
bestehenden Netze ein und fuellt die Luecke zwischen
dem European Rivers Network und dem
Southeast-Asian Rivers Network welches von IRN (International
Rivers Network USA) aufgebaut wird.
Einen ausfuehrlicheren Bericht werden wir in einigen Tagen
oder Wochen veroeffentlichen.
Die Protokolle werden zuerst in Russisch fertiggestellt
und stehen uns erst danach zur Uebersetzung zur Verfuegung.
Kontaktperson bei ERN fuer Osteuropa ist
Alfred Olfert (alfred.olfert at ern.org) (deutsch/englisch/russisch)
ERN
11.11.99
RRN Russian Rivers Network founded (Volga Days 99)'
11.11.99 : RRN Russian Rivers Network founded
(Volga Days 99)'
The 10th Volga Days took place on the 21st - 23rd of October
in the city of Nijny Novgorod (ex Gorky) on the Volga river in Russia.
In presence of more than 250 representatives from 35 regions of Russia,
Kazakh Republic, European Rivers Network (France), Milieukontakt (Netherlands)
and Heinrich Boell Stiftung (Germany) Russian Rivers Network (RRN) was
founded.
The creation of this network was initiated by the Volga
Network "Help the River" - the organiser of the wonderful "Volga Days".
European Rivers Network has been keeping up a close relationship with this
organisation for several years and fostered the creation of the new network.
Cultivating this relationship, ERN will support its Russian counterpart,
especially in the communication field. As a first act of co-operation with
RRN, ERN has established a new intelligence service via a mailing list
in English and Russian. The next steps may be a collaborative operation
of a mail and web server, the creation of an internal communication network
in Russia, exchange programs and concerted campaigns.
In accordance with ERN the new network is structured using
the basin areas of the main rivers as basic unites. In this first step
RRN includes the river basins the river basins Volga, Don, Petschora, Tschusawaja,
Katun, Ob, Amur and the lake Baikal as well as the river Irtysh in the
Kasakh Republic as associated member. RRN has its seat in Nijny Novgorod
(Gorki). In this way RRN is fitting in with the existing networks and is
filling up a gap between European Rivers Network and Southeast Rivers Network,
which is being built up by the International Rivers Network (IRN - USA).
A detailed survey will soon be published. The transcripts
will first be prepared in Russian before we can have them translated into
English.
The ERN contact concerning Eastern European/Eurasia issues
is:
alfred.olfert at ern.org
(German/English/Russian/Czech)
11.11.99: Le Russian Rivers Network RRN est
fondé (Volga days 99)
La dixième édition des « Volga days
99) a eu lieu du 21 au 23 octobre en Russie, dans la ville de Nijny Novgorod
(ex-Gorky) sur la Volga. En présence de plus de 250 représentants
venus de 35 différentes régions de Russie, de la République
du Kajastan, de European Rivers Network (France), de Milieukontakt (Pays-Bas)
et de Heinrich Boell Stiftung (Allemagne), Russian Rivers Network a été
mis en place.
La création de ce réseau été
initié par le réseau « Help the River » déjà
existant sur Volga et qui est l’organisateur des merveilleux « Days
of the Volga». European Rivers Network a entretenu, depuis plusieurs
années, d’étroites relations avec cette structure et a parrainé
la fondation du nouveau réseau. ERN souhaite entretenir cette relation
et aider son homologue russe, en premier lieu dans le domaine de la communication.
Premier geste de cette coopération, ERN a créé un
service d’information par liste de diffusion de courrier électronique
en anglais et en russe. Les prochaines étapes pourront être
la gestion d’un site web, la création d’un réseau de communication
interne à la Russie, des programmes d’échanges et des campagnes
cogérées.
Tout comme ERN, ce nouveau réseau se structurera
par bassins versants. Dans un premier temps, RRN regroupera les bassins
des rivières suivantes : Volga, Don, Petshora, Tshusavaja, Katun,
Ob, Amur, Irtysh, ainsi que le lac Baïkal. RRN aura son siège
à Nijny Novgorod. Ainsi, RRN s’intègre au réseaux
existants et fait le lien entre European Rivers Network et South East Rivers
Network animé par International Rivers Network (IRN – USA).
.
Un rapport détaillé sera bientôt publié,
en russe puis en anglais.
Contact à
ERN
Programmes Europe de l’Est/Eurasie :
Alfred Olfert alfred.olfert at ern.org
(allemand/anglais/russe/tchèque/français)
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