World Rivers Review 25, diciembre 2010

8/8/2019 World Rivers Review 25, diciembre 2010

1/16

World

revieWrivers

N Rrt Urg Tn-YrDm-Budng Frz n Mkngby Ame Trandem

NSIDE

pecial Focus: Theew Dam Builders

razilsights into the secretive

orld o a huge, global

dustry. Page 4

fricaneo-colonial invasion

dam builders hits the

ntinent. Page 5

outh Asiater ailing at home, Indias

m builders are looking to

pand overseas. Page 6

hinan update on the worlds

ggest dam builder. Page 7

outheast Asiae new power players in

e Mekong basin. Page 14

Pubihd by Intrnatina Rivr V. 25 / N. 4 Dcmbr 2010

internatinalriers.rg

The Mekong region is at

a crossroads. A ground-

breaking new report

urging a 10-year dam-building

reeze on the Mekong Rivermainstream has raised the

prole o the risks o a dam-

boom on the highly produc-

tive and valuable river, while

also putting a spotlight on

the decision-makers who will

determine its ate. The debate

is noticeably shiting away

rom strict belie that dams

are the best way to serve

regional energy needs, and

toward increased recognition

o the value o a healthy river

that supports millions with itsnatural abundance.

While the report hasnt

convinced all key stakehold-

ers some dam proponents

are proposing business as

usual new and unconven-

tional critics, like the US

government and World Bank,

have entered the ray by

expressing support or the

reports main ndings on the

value o a healthy Mekong.

The report,Strategic

Environment Assessment ofHydropower on the Mekong

Mainstream (SEA), cau-

tions that the 11 large dams

planned on the Lower Mekong

Rivers mainstream would

undamentally aect the in-

tegrity and the productivity o

the Mekong aquatic system.

This in turn would disrupt the

worlds largest inland sheries

and result in economic losses

o nearly US$500 million per

year. In a region where the

majority o its population is

rural and dependent on natu-

ral resources, the dams would

condemn millions o people

to severe ood shortages andincreased poverty.

The SEA was commis-

sioned by the Mekong River

Commission (MRC), and is

based on current state-o-the-

art scientic knowledge o the

river system combined with

intensive consultation with

regional governments, devel-

opment partners and NGOs.

Due to the extent o the

risk and scientic uncertainty,

the report recommends that

decisions on mainstream

dams be deerred or a de-

cade. The state o knowledge

about the Mekong is not

adequate or making inormedand responsible decisions

about mainstream dams at

this time, the authors state.

While the Mekong dams

have long been considered by

many o the regions donors as

a regional issue, the issue has

now become global due to the

scale o the dams negative

impacts.

The World Bank was rst

to publically welcome the re-

The site the Xaburi Dam, the rst eleen planned Mekngmainstream dams. Pht: Pianprn Deetes

Continued on page 15


2/16 WoRlD RIVeRs ReVIeW Dcmbr 2010

CommentaryFArEwEll!

Over the past 17 years Ive written many commentaries or World Rivers

Review. Im sorry to say that this will be my last. Im leaving International River

at the end o January to help oment the clean energy revolution in the US asExecutive Director o Black Rock Solar (www.blackrocksolar.org).

While Im excited about my new position, Im very sad to be leaving

my wonderul colleagues and riends inside International Rivers and in the

broader global dam-ghting and river-saving movement beyond.

In my ve years as Executive Director, and 12 beore that as Campaigns

Director, Ive helped build International Rivers into the worlds premier organization devoted to

protecting rivers and promoting sustainable alternatives to dams. Over the past ve years weve

opened oces in Bangkok, Mumbai and Cameroon to be closer to our allies and the rivers we

are ghting to protect. Weve added a vitally important program to respond to China replacing the

World Bank as the worlds worst builder o destructive dams. Weve documented better alterna-

tives to dams, and created training materials or our partners. Weve greatly improved and ex-

panded our online resources and our coverage in the traditional media. Our credibility has alway

been high, but our visibility has never been higher.But the moments Ill remember most will be those times I got away rom my computer and int

the river valleys. Sleeping on the foor o adivasi huts in the Narmada Valley. Eating barbecue with

dam-displaced armers on a resettlement site in the Uruguay Valley in Brazil. Hearing rst-hand

the community transormations brought about by rainwater harvesters in Rajasthan. The intense

pace o the international meetings o dam-aected peoples and their allies that International River

helped organize, and the unique encounters with indigenous people, activists and scientists, shar-

ing their experiences, cultures, songs, and dances (and Tequila, cachaca or other local rewater)

and their commitments to protect nature and society rom corporate greed and political ambition

Im very proud o the success that Ive been a part o, not just stalling and stopping bad dams,

but also the establishment o the groundbreaking World Commission on Dams, my work in orcing

the Kyoto Protocols Clean Development Mechanism to (partly) clean up its act, and the analyses

Ive done showing the poor perormance o dams and the superiority o alternatives.

International Rivers has helped catalyze and support strong dam-ghting networks and coalition

around the world that turn almost every proposed big dam into a struggle or human rights, river

protection and sound water and energy policies. Whether in Arica, the Amazon, the Himalayas or

the Lower Mekong, the agents o the hydro-industrial complex know that wherever they want to

turn rivers into prot they will ace a ght.

Sometimes river deenders have clear wins one great recent example is the cancellation o a

dam on Australias Mary River but we also have clear deeats. The completion o Three Gorges

Dam, and the near-completion o several dams on Indias Narmada River, are two notable example

rom the past two decades. In both cases our predictions o exaggerated benets and underesti-

mated costs human, environmental and nancial have come true. But saying told you so is

small comort when so much has been lost and so much damage and suering caused.

Every time we put up a ght, we put the dam-builders on notice that they are losing public sup

port and legitimacy and that while they may win some battles, in the long term we will win the wa

and bring the era o river destruction to an end.

Im happy to say that our Campaigns Director, Aviva Imho, will take over as Interim Executive

Director on February 1. Aviva is a terric manager, undraiser and campaigner, so the organization

will be in highly capable hands. Our board co-chairs Deborah Moore and Marcia McNally will

lead an eort to nd a new Executive Director (send ideas and suggestions or candidates to

[email protected]).

I'm very grateul or the support that youve given us over the years. We couldnt have achieve

all that we have without your help.

Patrick McCully

Wrld RiersReiewVolume 25, Number 4

ISSN Number 0890 6211

EditorLri Pttinger

Design and ProductionJeanette Madden

PrintingInkwrks

Internatinal Riers

Executive DirectorPatrick McCully

StaMnti Aguirre, Karl

Aparici, Peter Bsshard,

Elizabeth Brink, Pianprn

Deetes, Ian Elwd, JamieGreenblatt, Salam Hassan,

Terri Hathaway, Inanna Hazel,

Aia Imh, Berklee Lwrey-

Eans, Grace Mang, Ikuk

Matsumt, Samir Mehta, Lia

Metz, Carl Middletn, Brent

Millikan, Payal Parekh, Lri

Pttinger, Elizabeth Sabel,

Ame Trandem, Susanne

Wng, Katy Yan

Interns & VolunteersJcelyn Bartlett, Kate Rss,

Chu Sinan, Gu Xin,Peng Xiama

Board o DirectorsMarcia McNally (C-Chair),

Debrah Mre (C-Chair),

Dan Beard, Martha Belcher,

Brent Blackwelder, Andr

Carthers, Rbert Hass

(Hnrary), Susan Kpman,

Leslie Leslie, Carls Mejia,

Sarah Minick, Milan Mmir,

Cymie Payne, Daid N. Pellw

Contact Us2150 Allstn Way, Suite 300Berkeley, CA 94704-1378 USA

Tel: (510) 848 1155

Fax: (510) 848 1008

Printed on 100% post-consumer

recycled waste paper with

vegetable-based inks


3/16



Were ging t build all the dams we pssibly

can in the Amazn, gien the current legislatin,

and then were ging t reisit the ther p-

tential sites that inle impacts n indigenus

lands and prtected areas, and see hw wemay explit that hydrelectric ptential as well.

Brazils energy uture is in the Amazn.

This statement by the head o energy planning at the ederal

Ministry o Mines and Energy makes it clear that the dam-

building business in Brazil is booming. Two huge hydro-

electric dams on the Madeira River, the largest tributary o the

Amazon, are already under construction, while another highly con-

troversial project, Belo Monte on the Xingu River (which would be

the world's third largest dam) may receive an installation license

at any moment. The Brazilian governments energy plans place top

priority on mega-hydro-projects in the Amazon, calling or con-

struction o up to 40 dams throughout the region over the next 20years. On the Tapajos River and its main tributaries alone, a total o

13 large dams are planned or construction by 2019. The unprec-

edented surge o dam building threatens to cause irrevocable dam-

age to the Amazons biological integrity and to local populations

whose livelihoods depend upon healthy riverine ecosystems.

One o the striking characteristics o todays dam-building in-

dustry in Brazil is the triple alliance o public-private actors driv-

ing it. The scene is dominated by the parastatal energy company

Eletrobras and its subsidiaries (Eletronorte, Furnas, Eletronorte,

CHESF and others), private Brazilian multinational construction

companies (such as Odebrecht, Camargo Correa and Andrade

Gutierrez) and the Brazilian National Bank or Economic and

Social Development (BNDES). This well-unded alliance is increas-

ingly extending its scope beyond Brazil's borders. Currently, theyare deeply involved in the design, nancing and construction o

large dams in other countries o the Amazon basin and elsewhere

in Latin American (Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Nicaragua, etc.) and

in Arican nations such as Mozambique, Ghana and Angola. Sadly,

Brazilian-led dam-building in other countries tends to repeat the

same destructive pattern.

In Brazil, the current dam-building renzy in the Amazon has

typically been accompanied by a steamrolling o environmental and

human rights legislation. Nevertheless, dam proponents portray

large hydro-projects in the Amazon as clean energy, ignoring

their contributions to climate change through emissions o meth-

ane and other greenhouse gases, their immense social and ecologi-

cal ootprints not to mention the act that dammed rivers and

the communities that depend on them are less able to withstandimpacts o climate change than healthy rivers.

Plitics as usualWhat are the orces behind these alarming trends in the increas-

ingly globalized Brazilian dam industry? A partial answer would

be that the planning elite within Brazil's Ministry o Mines and

Energy is dominated by technicians trained as large dam-builders,

with little or no knowledge in areas such as energy eciency or

alternative sources o generation such as wind and solar, despite

their enormous potential. However, the pronounced bias o Brazil

energy bureaucracy towards large destructive dams is much more

political than technical.

The huge construction companies that dominate Brazil's hydro

industry have grown and prospered by maintaining close relation

ships with powerul politicians and their political appointees withthe energy sector. Such relationships have been cultivated throug

practices such as grating rom contracts that originate rom

rigged public bidding, under-the-table campaign nancing and

other (oten creative) uses o corruption.

The protability o mega-dam projects has been enhanced by

increasingly generous policies o subsidized credit, government-

backed loan guarantees, and tax breaks, as well as the externaliza

tion o social and environmental impacts, oten associated with

violation o environmental and human rights legislation. Such ac-

tors at the same time refect and harbor promiscuous relationship

between dam-builders and the public sector. In the case o the

Eletrobras group, the confation o public and private roles has cr

ated a situation where a parastatal company occupies a privileged

position to lobby or the its own corporate interests and those o iprivate sector partners.

Crruptin cntinuesLuiz Incio Lula da Silva was elected President o Brazil in 2002 o

a platorm o promises to reduce poverty, while ghting corruptio

and reinstating ethics in politics. Once in oce, Lula proceeded

to orm political alliances with many o Brazil's most backward

regional oligarchs, including enemies rom his previous days as a

union leader, supposedly to guarantee a majority o votes in Con-

gress. Following tradition, alliances in the Lula administration we

based on allocating control over key public institutions among

political allies that serve the private interests o political parties

which can be best described as patronage groups. The domination

o the Sarney clan over the Ministry o Mines and Energy is justone example o such practices. Ater an initial Sarney appointee

was dismissed amid corrruption charges, a new minister, Edison

Lobo, known as violent land-grabber in the northeast state o

Maranho, continued his predecessor's obsession with large dams

Lobo became amous or his public statement that demonic

orces were impeding the construction o dams in the Amazon,

reerring to opposition rom indigenous peoples and NGOs.

The opportunities or corruption arising rom multi-billion-

dollar dam contracts, involving political patronage networks that

extend to the local level, cannot be matched in alternative invest-

ments. This goes a long way in explaining the enormous support

that mega-dam projects typically enjoy among politicians, as well

as the interest among political parties to secure control o the

Ministry o Mines and Energy and its aliates.President Lula has portrayed indigenous people, human rights

activists and environmentalists as either woeully nave or as

members o an international conspiracy set out to impede Brazil's

emergence as an economic superpower and violate its sovereign

rights over the Amazon. It's dicult to gauge the extent to which

such positions arise rom true convictions, an outdated develop-

mentalist mentality, expansionist ambitions, or the expediency o

skilled politician with a high tolerance or corruption or perhaps

all o the above. l

Brz Dm-Budng indutry: crny ctm G Gbby Brent Millikan

THE NEW GLoBAL DAM BUILDERS


5/16WoRlD RIVeRs ReVIeW Dcmbr 2010

More than a billion people spread across 54 countries

inhabit Arica, the worlds second largest continent.

International Rivers is tracking nearly 150 proposed large

dams across those 54 countries. People rom Kenya to Ghana, rom

Sudan to Zambia, rom Uganda to Lesotho are under threat rom

dam building.Yet the immediate threat acing Arican rivers including its

biggest, such as the Congo, Nile, Niger and Zambezi is relatively

small compared to other basins, such as the Mekong. The limited

number o dams is due to the same actors that threaten Aricas

development overall: intense concentrations o poverty, corruption,

violent confict, and political illegitimacy. Once these investment

risks are lessened, Aricas rivers could ace a ar greater assault by

dam builders.

Large hydro is the core o Aricas dam building and power

planning today. Sub-Saharan Aricas power inrastructure has been

described as the least developed, least accessible, least reliable,

most costly to operate, and, on average, highest priced o any region

in the world. A 2010 World Bank report,African Infrastructure:

A Time for Transformation, calculated that Aricas power sectorrequires an annual investment o US$41 billion, ar more than it cur-

rently receives.

But building large hydro dams alls ar short o lighting up A-

rica. Why? Two reasons. Electrication rates in Arica lag behind

every other region in the world. Most stark is sub-Saharan Arica,

where only 8% o the rural population and 26% total have

access to electricity. First, most o those without electricity live

too ar away to be connected to grid-based supplies. Second, or

those closer to the grid, Aricas distribution networks are dispro-

portionately underunded. In 2004, grid distribution needed a total

o $271 billion, nearly equal to the combined investment need o

supply and transmission. But most Arican power sector lending

is earmarked or supply projects like big hydro and high-voltage

transmission lines, leaving distribution networks starved or invest-ments. Without money or distribution, new connections dont

happen.

Aricas dam proponents have a clear message: large hydropow-

er in Arica is a no-brainer. They say hydropower is cheap, clean,

renewable and an indigenous power source.

This is the time or Arica to harness its huge hydroenergy

potential, said Arican Development Bank President, Donald

Kabureka, in 2007. The main challenge is making the schemes so-

cially and environmentally acceptable. Kabureka has argued that

climate change, the quest or cleaner energy and Arica's need or

constant power supply underscore the need or hydropower.

Many would argue the opposite: with a changing climate, and so

many Arican nations dangerously dependent on hydropower or

most o their electricity, hydropower is one o the riskiest invest-ments in a warming world. (See the September 2010 WRR or a

map o Arican hydrodependency.) Saer, cleaner renewable ener-

gies are making slow inroads, but or now, big hydro is getting the

lions share o the attention.

All Talk, N ActinIn March 2006, the Arican Ministerial Conerence on Hydropower

and Sustainable Development was a potential watershed moment.

Prompted by the International Hydropower Association, the South

Arican government agreed to host the tightly controlled event. For

months beorehand, civil society ought or the right to participate,

nally prevailing with more than 20 invitations or some o Aricas

most earnest dam ghters. The conerence would be the largest

orum devoted to Arican dam issues since the World Commission

on Dams, and an unprecedented opportunity to advance the dams

debate in Arica. As the conerence opened, dam builders stood

poised to initiate a widespread assault on Aricas rivers; across theaisle, civil society participants stood poised to protect rivers, rights

and livelihoods.

But the years ollowing the conerence witnessed only a sput-

tering o momentum rom Aricas governments. The conerences

action plan to jump-start hydro projects across the continent

lacked coordinated Arican leadership.

This was not the rst action plan to sputter out. Other dam-

laden plans, such as the New Partnership or Aricas Development

(NEPAD) blueprint or Arica in 2001 and the Commission or

Aricas report in 2005, brought initial excitement, then ailure o

homegrown political will. NEPADs medium to long-term term in-

rastructure plan and various regional energy plans have also ailed

to materialize, resulting in lists o priority projects rather than

thoughtul assessment o needs and options.

Internatinal ArchitectsLarge dams have been imbedded into Aricas regional inrastruc-

ture plans which are then used to legitimize continued donor lend-

ing. The World Bank remains the most infuential player in Aricas

energy development path, despite a limited (but growing) number

o loans or dams in recent years. World Bank documents including

its Arica Action Plan, Energy Sector Strategy, and Water Sector

Strategy help justiy widespread construction o large dams in

Arica. The Bank continues to infuence Arican state policies and

lend money or dams as well as or associated inrastructure.

One o the World Banks infuential roles is implementing the A-

rican Inrastructure Country Diagnostic (AICD), a project designed

to catalogue baseline data o Aricas existing physical inrastruc-ture in order to monitor results o donors uture investments. The

AICD steering committee includes the Arican Union, NEPAD,

Aricas regional economic communities, the Arican Development

Bank, and major inrastructure donors.

Aricas energy uture lies in hydropower, wrote the AICD in

its 2008 fagship report Underpowered, despite noting that hy-

dropower already accounts or 70% o sub-Saharan Aricas power

supply (excluding South Arica).

The Arican Development Bank, which was poised several years

ago to take on a regional leadership role in implementing NEPAD

projects, has muddled through years o little action. The Banks

lead role in preparing Ethiopias Gibe 3 Dam ound the Bank lacking

due diligence and good aith in ollowing Bank policies. The Bank is

also home to the Inrastructure Consortium or Arica (ICA) whichcoordinates multilateral and G8 support or regional inrastructure,

including dams. As o 2008, ICA reported 10 hydro dams in its pipe-

line. This is an encouraging trend or Arica, noted ICA.

In Europe, the EU Energy Initiative (EUEI) was created in 2002

to enable achievement o the Millennium Development Goals. In

recent years, the EUEI devoted resources toward sub-regional

plans or improving access to energy and to the three-year Arican

Electrication Initiative. Unortunately, these initiatives have

largely ailed to attract Arican political will at levels required to

advance their implementation. The EUEIs newest initiative, the

wt Drng Dm n ar?by Terri Hathaway

Continued on page 10



Indian companies and state-

owned enterprises have

rapidly expanded their

domestic and overseas invest-

ments in recent years. Not

least motivated by the exampleo Chinese investors, they are

trying to gain access to oreign

resources, win international

contracts, and strengthen

their relations with trading

blocks such as the Association

o Southeast Asian Nations

(ASEAN). They have long

had a presence in neighbor-

ing countries such as Nepal

and Bhutan, and are now also

spreading to more distant

countries in Asia and Arica.

This article looks at thetrack record o Indian institu-

tions that are engaged in build-

ing dams in India and abroad, and analyzes some o the problems

their new projects have created.

The actrs and the stageA large number o Indian companies are involved in the current

oray into domestic and oreign power projects. They include state-

owned and private-sector power plant developers and equipment

suppliers; wind power companies; transmission companies, and

state-owned and private consultancies.

Indian companies are involved in power projects in Aghanistan,

Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia,

Iraq, Malaysia, Nepal, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Uganda andVietnam. The Indian government has also oered Nepal, Bhutan

and Tajikistan outright grant assistance or the construction o

some o the hydropower projects by Indian developers. The Export

Import Bank o India has provided support or Indian power proj-

ects abroad through various instruments. They include direct loans

and lines o credit.

On the domestic ront a large number o new dam nanciers have

entered the oray, including some well-unded ventures with capital

to burn. Just to name two o the biggest, Lie Insurance Corpora-

tion o India has extended more than US$2 billion line o credit to

the national dam building agency, the NHPC. And Blackstone group

recently announced that it would invest up to $1 billion in Indias

power sector in the next ve years. This is in addition to internation-

al nanciers such as the World Bank, IFC, JBIC and ADB.With nances available aplenty, new companies are making their

rst orays into dam development. A large number o new companies

are starting with smaller dams with a capacity o less than 25 MW. It

is expected that some o these companies will eventually move into

construction on larger dam projects ater gaining experience.

The impactsNo detailed studies on the impacts o Indias oreign investments

in hydropower projects exist. There is evidence that Indian dams

abroad also have serious impacts on aected communities and the

environment. Here are just a ew examples:

nAccording to students

groups rom the aected

region, the Tamanthi Hydro-

power Project in Burma will

submerge about 68 square ki-

lometers o land, and displaceabout 30,000 people rom 35

villages. The aected commu-

nities belong to the indigenou

Kuki people. Some o the

aected people have already

been displaced by the country

military rulers without any

compensation, and the stu-

dents groups have protested

against the project in India.

nThe West Seti Hydropower

Project in Nepal will submerge

22 square kilometers o land,

displace at least 1,500 amiliesand dry out a long stretch o

the Seti River. The dams pow

will be exported to India.

nThe 1,020 MW Tala Hydropower Project in Bhutan has almost

totally dried up 30 kilometers o the Wangchu River, and damaged

the rich biodiversity o a much larger region. The project is locate

in a geologically ragile area, and suered extensive damages rom

fooding in 2000.

Dmestic dam plansIndias hydropower potential is more than 150,000 MW, according

to the Indian governments Central Electricity Authority. About a

third o the potential has been developed so ar and about 9% is

being developed. It is small wonder that new players are enteringthe market rapidly and orceully. Additionally, the Indian gov-

ernment is escalating dam plans in northeast India or strategic

reasons, including as part o a strategy to establish rst user

rights on the regions water, which are also claimed by China. Th

Indian Government has plans to build 135 large dams in Arunacha

Pradesh state alone. (See back page.) Adding uel to the re, Chin

claims that Arunachal Pradesh is part o China. Building hundred

o large dams in the biodiversity-rich, seismically active, erosion-

prone and mountainous northeast at a time when climate change

impacting river fows is a recipe or disaster.

Indias National Water Mission (part o its National Action Plan

on Climate Change) has as one o its goals the promotion o basin

level integrated water resources management, which appears

to translate into exhausting the nations potential to build dams.Credible and comprehensive basin-wide carrying capacity stud-

ies or cumulative impact studies have not been undertaken in any

basin. That said, the Federal Ministry o Environment and Forest

continues to grant sanctions or hydroelectric projects even or

rivers where river basin studies are just beginning, and mostly

to agencies with questionable track records and where issues o

confict o interest linger.

Discussions on the new National Water Policy, to be nalized b

March 2013, have already begun, but the water sector establish-

ment has shown no interest in consulting the people and organiza

ind Dm Budng abrd: ignrng ln rm hm?by Himanshu Thakkar

Continued opposi

A Day Actin prtest against Indias plans t dam Burmas riers.Pht: KSDF



7/16WoRlD RIVeRs ReVIeW Dcmbr 2010

ind Dm Budng continued from previous page

tions working at the grassroots or those who have been critical o

the governments water sector agenda.

Exprting cnfict?Dams in India have a long and extremely divisive history. Poor,

marginalized and oten tribal people bore the brunt o dams im-pacts in India, but received ew i any o their benets. Dams have

triggered many large-scale social mobilizations and huge demon-

strations, the blockade o construction sites, hunger strikes, court

cases and other orms o confict. Indian dam builders and nan-

ciers have not developed credible policies to address the negative

social and environmental impacts o their projects. In numerous

cases, they have circumvented laws, government and court deci-

sions. Already, dams with Indian involvement have also triggered

protests and court cases in Nepal, Burma and Uganda.

In many host countries where Indian projects are being built,

there are no appropriate laws or policies to regulate the social and

environmental impacts o dam projects. In countries such as Bhu-

tan, Burma, Ethiopia and Vietnam, there is no political space or

an independent civil society, judiciary or media. In such countries,

oreign investors and nanciers have a particular responsibility to

address the social and environmental impacts o their projects.

As they expand their oreign operations, Indian dam buildersand nanciers risk exporting their negative domestic track record

and creating conficts over their projects abroad. The Export

Import Bank o India and Indian companies now building dams

abroad are well advised to adopt the recommendations o the

World Commission on Dams or good practice in water and energy

sector development, to avoid getting embroiled in international

conficts over their projects, and to avoid bringing disrepute to

their name and that o the country o their origin. l

The author heads up South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers & People

(Delhi). Samir Mehta contributed to this article.

since World Rivers Review last took stock o Chinese dam

builders in 2007, China has emerged as the world leader

in the international hydropower industry. The number o

overseas Chinese dam projects that we are aware o has increased

rom 46 to 266. Chinese overseas dam builders are now active in

65 countries. Developing countries have welcomed Chinese dambuilders and the loans oered by Chinese banks.

While all these new dams dont bode well or the worlds riv-

ers, some potentially positive trends are emerging. Just a ew

years ago, Chinese companies appeared to be willing to take on

highly destructive projects that had been shunned by western

dam builders. In 2007, Chinese dam builders were involved in

the Merowe Dam human rights disaster in Sudan. Following the

completion o the Three Gorges Dam project in 2006, there was a

concern that Chinas newound expertise would lead to a proliera-

tion o mega-dams around the world.

But in the past three years, the Chinese government has begun

to realize that social and environmental sustainability is in its long-

term interest. It has urged Chinese rms to ollow stricter envi-

ronmental and saety standards abroad. The Chinese ministries oCommerce and Environmental Protection are currently nalizing

environmental policy guidelines or overseas Chinese investment.

Some Chinese companies have also recognized the need to

meet their international responsibilities. Sinohydro, a Chinese

state-owned enterprise and the worlds biggest dam builder, is cur-

rently developing an environmental policy or its overseas opera-

tions. Through a policy dialogue with Sinohydro, International

Rivers has made it clear that i Sinohydro wants to become a global

leader in this industry, it must have an environmental policy that

refects the highest international standards. That message appears

to be heard. Sinohydro has looked at international standards, such

as those adopted by the World Bank, or guidance.

Other Chinese dam builders have also emerged as potentially

big players in the international hydropower market. Dam builderssuch as China Gezhouba, China Southern Power Grid Corporation

and Datang International are some o the new actors that are eager

to obtain a larger share o the international construction market

but currently lack demonstrable environmental or social sae-

guards. While we are hopeul that the positive steps being taken by

the Chinese government and Sinohydro will infuence these dam

builders, International Rivers will push or stronger environmental

and social saeguards as we expand our policy dialogue to include

other Chinese dam builders.

Grwing awarenessOne critical development has been the growing awareness, both in-

side and outside o China, o the huge role China is now playing in

building big dams abroad. In 2007, the political space or monitor-

ing Chinese overseas dam builders, let alone engaging in a dialogue

with them, was non-existent. Today, International Rivers works in

partnership with a growing group o Chinese NGOs to monitor and

engage with Chinese dam builders. Beyond China, environmental

and human rights groups in host countries are more aware o the

dierent strategies and advocacy avenues available to them when

Chinese actors are involved in projects in their countries.

There have been some successes. In Gabon, Brainorest a lo-

cal environmental NGO succeeded in getting China Exim Bank to

suspend a loan because it violated Exim Banks own environmentalguidelines. The dam was to be built in a national park. And in an-

other case, Sinohydro has agreed to work with the Global Environ-

mental Institute, a Chinese NGO, in an eort to address the social

and environmental impacts o the Nam Ngum 5 Dam in Laos.

There have also been ailures. Despite committing to green

nance principles, the Industrial and Commercial Bank o China

recently granted an export credit or hydropower turbines or the

hugely destructive Gibe 3 Dam in Ethiopia, a project that will have

signicant impacts on the ecosystems and people o the Lower

Omo Valley and Lake Turkana region in Kenya.

The story o Chinese dam builders still has no clear ending. Policy

changes at Chinas leading dam builder and nancier are important

rst steps. Yet as we know rom other institutions, there is oten a

big gap between an environmental policy and actual practice on theground. However, three years on, the evidence suggests that Chi-

nese dam builders and nanciers are not becoming the rogue players

we had all eared. Indeed, they might emerge as good corporate

citizens with leading social and environmental standards. l

cn infun n wrd Rr Grby Grace Mang


8/16

ViVa Temaca! Rios PThe tiny town o Temaca, Mexico became the center

movement in early October when more than 320 intecountries descended on the town or the third River

solidarity, strategizing and riendship helped build stre

We hope these photos hint at the magic o this rema

A Mapuche indigenous leader rom Chile talks t

other participants at the community air. We c

never take back our rivers, our lost orests, our

our cultures, she said. It is very important to

the dams come. We must pray or living rivers.

Building solidarity wasnt always hard work. In their ree hours,

participants relaxed in local hot springs, walked the towns quiet

cobbled streets, and revealed their wilder sides in unorgettable

cross-cultural parties. Here, the Arican delegates got everyone out

o their chairs. Singers, dancers and musicians rom dozens o other

countries also brought the house down with soulul perormances.

A tile-painting booth

allowed participants to

paint a tile or Temaca;

townspeople used

them to create a wall o

solidarity and riendship

at the towns entrance.

TRaVel diaRy


9/16

Participants could choose rom more than 30 workshops,

which covered topics as challenging as the spreading global

infuence o Chinese and Brazilian dam builders, international

human rights law, strategies to advance renewable energy

technologies, and how dam removal can restore rivers.

a Vida!obal river-protection

activists rom 54 meeting. A week o

the struggles ahead.

thering.

Local people made a traditional sawdust tapestry

to commemorate the event (seen here rom

high atop the towns cathedral)

Temaca is itsel threatened by a dam that will supply water

or polluting industries in a neighboring state. The projectis proceeding without required approvals, while another

reservoir nearby sits idle as a monument to corruption.

Here, a eld trip to the El Zapotillo dam site turned into a

spontaneous protest. The next day, activists who protested

rom the tops o bulldozers were happy to learn that a

ederal congressional representative promised to push or

enorcement o a court-ordered construction suspension.

oN THE WEB For background inormation, blogs, and links aboutRivers or Lie meeting, visit www.internationalrivers.org/node/50

More photos: www.fickr.com/photos/internationalrivers/

Photos: Archivo de Proyectos and International Rivers.



The historic town o Hasan-

key , under threat rom

the Ilisu Dam now under

construction on the Tigris

River in Turkey, was the site o

a unique solidarity camp in

October.

Organizers say the intent o

the camp was to raise pub-

lic awareness in Turkey and

worldwide about the problems

with the dam, and to oster an

intense resistance against this

destructive dam, and a public

drive to preserve Hasankey and

the Tigris Valley.

The 12,000-year-old town

once served as an important

commercial center along the Silk Road; Marco Polo is rumored to

have crossed the Tigris here. As many as 20 cultures may have

called the place home over the centuries. Today, more than 85,000people in Hasankey and nearby villages would be aected by the

dam, and downstream communities and ecosystems would be

harmed by changes to the rivers fow.

The week-long camp included demonstrations, concerts, cultural

events, workshops, panel discussions and eld trips. At any one

time, some 80 people were camping along the Tigris River. Directly

aected people were active participants in the camp. A peaceul

protest to the construction site o the resettlement town o New

Hasankey, a drab place a ew kilometers north o Hasankey, man-

aged to avoid disruption despite threats rom police to arrest people.

The dam site is in the highly

militarized Kurdish region.

Construction on the dam

started in spring 2010. The

companies work 24 hours a

day, says Ercan Ayboga, one o

the leading activists behind th

camp. We have a very serious

situation here. The aected

people o Hasankey and Tigri

Valley are very angry because

dam construction is continu-

ing and the historical part o

Hasankey has been closed to

visitors since July, which has r

sulted in a signicant decrease

in tourism the only income o

Hasankey. Millions o visi-

tors have toured the town and surrounding region in recent years

Hasankey contains an ancient bazaar and castle, cave dwellings,

and 1,000-year-old churches and mosques.The campaign to stop the dam has had many successes over th

years. Turkish authorities initially sought and obtained nance

or the dam rom a number o international banks, but most o the

unders have since pulled out o the controversial project. Three

Turkish banks have agreed to und the dam. Four Turkish compa-

nies and Austrias Andritz remain in the project.

Ilsu Dam is one o 22 dams being constructed as part o the

Southeastern Anatolia Project, or GAP, Turkey's largest regional

development project. The dam will be the countrys ourth largest

ater the Atatrk Dam. l

arn Dm continued from page 5

Arica-EU Energy Partnership, intends to support the develop-

ment o 10,000 MW o hydropower.

The New Dam Builders in AricaToday, Aricas new dams are most popularly backed by Chinese

unders and dam builders. Between 2001 and 2007, China com-

mitted more than $3 billion to Arican hydropower projects. Since

then, China has dramatically expanded its interest, now unding

o all new Arican inrastructure, dams included. The Forum on

China-Arica Cooperation (FOCAC) has marked the terms o

Chinas ocial relationship with Arica or the past decade. At the

2009 FOCAC Summit, China pledged a urther $10 billion in con-

cessional lending by 2013. This Sino-Arican collaboration is ar

rom selfess or the Chinese, who benet in two key ways. First, ithelps Chinese companies access Aricas natural resources which

support Chinas own industries. Second, Chinas domestic market

is fooded with too many engineering and construction companies

looking or work; Arica provides a vast market or this expertise.

India Exim Bank has made a slow but noticeable entrance on

the continent, including support or the Tendaho Dam in Ethiopia,

$50 million or Itezhi-Tezhi Dam in Zambia, and $60 million or

Nyabarongo Dam in Rwanda.

Major dam deals by Brazilian companies Odebrecht and Ca-

margo Corra Group have been made in Angola and Mozambique

In Ghana, Brazilian company Andrade was awarded a contract to

build a 90 MW dam on the Oti River.

Change is NeededThe ocial development message that hydropower dams are crit

cal or powering Arica ignores key realities about climate change

and could widen the continents energy divide, not alleviate it.

Power sector investments that unlock Aricas natural resources

or exploitation are not the best path to create decent jobs, ood

security, or sel-determination. The result is the perpetuation o

its inamous resource curse, increased corruption, and a urther

concentration o political and economic power to those who prorom this model.

Saving Aricas rivers or uture generations will require

strengthening governance and public accountability over Aricas

natural resources. We must also reshape the dams debate in

Arica to recognize that large dams are harmul to Arica beyond

their direct social and environmental impacts. We must talk about

corruption, job creation, climate change resilience and access to

energy and water. l

sdrty cm Brng surtr t annt Turk T

Lcal dancers perrm at the slidarity camp.


11/16WoRlD RIVeRs ReVIeW Dcmbr 2010 11

The energy issue is one o the greatest challenges acing

humanity today. The intensive use o ossil uels that made

the industrial revolution possible has had many unintended

consequences. In Argentina, more than 90% o primary energy is

rom oil and gas. Yet not only are we running out o ossil uels in

Argentina, but we are already beginning to see the impacts romclimate change.

At Taller Ecologista, we believe it essential to more quickly

adopt renewable energy in Argentina not only to reduce energy

consumption rom non-renewable sources, but also to contribute

to improving the quality o lie or all sectors o our society.

My organization is currently working on the ormation o a Solar

Cities Network. The programs goals include the widespread adoption

o solar energy, new regulations to encourage the use o renewable

energies, capacity building, technology transer and the creation o

internal markets so that solar manuacturing jobs are created here.

We are now into the second year o our pilot program, called

Rosario Solar. In order to promote and publicize the potential o

using solar energy and resources, we conducted Rosario Solar

2010, where companies and organizations set up 20 inormationbooths demonstrating solar equipment (water heaters, stoves,

ovens, solar panels, solar lamps, etc.).

More than 5,000 people passed through the exhibition, learn-

ing about the benets o using these products, pricing, operations,and so on. During the exhibition visitors could taste oods made

in dierent ovens and solar cookers, said Paul Bertinat, Energy

Coordinator o Taller Ecologista.

Thanks to the great success o the event, we were able to hold

similar events in other cities. Equally important is the act that in

each o these cities we are working to create new regulations that

may provide a regulatory ramework to promote the use o such

energy sources.

We are also sponsoring a project designed by the Centre or Energy

and Sustainability o the National Technological University, Facultad

Regional Rosario, to develop a mobile solar water heater. It is now being

used or demonstrations in the eld or teaching and training.

Were working to make our region into a model o power gen-

eration in the country with an abundant, sae, renewable, easy andproven technology, concluded Bertinat. l

The author is with Taller Ecologista, an Argentinian NGO that works

on energy issues and promotes the democratic use of water re-

sources. More info: www.tallerecologista.org.ar

Blue Harest: Inland Fisheries as an Ecsystem Serice,by UNEP and WorldFish Center, 2010. 63 pages. Download rom

www.unep.org/pd/Blue_Harvest.pd

Although it borders on being too little, too late, the world isnally starting to pay attention to declining ocean sheries. But

river and lake sheries are being virtually ignored a situation that

Achim Steiner, the executive director UNEP, calls an oversight o

potentially proound implications.

Why? Because an estimated 100 million people in Arica alone

get important levels o daily protein rom these inland sources along-

side essential vitamins and minerals, Steiner notes. Meanwhile,

unocial estimates put the global inland catch at close to 30 million

tons, comparable to ocial marine catches, and employment at 60

million people 13 million more than in equivalent marine sheries.

This new report lays out just what is at stake, and what is caus-

ing the problem. Culprits include the usual insults to nature:

pollution, over-abstraction o water, urbanization and road build-

ing, and climate change. But the biggest actor in the decline o

river sheries is, no surprise, dams.

O the many direct drivers impacting inland sheries, damsand their impact on the hydrological regimes o rivers are the most

important, the report notes.

The authors urge countries to adopt an ecosystem approach

to managing inland sheries given the multiple impacts coming to

bear on their health and productivity.

The global South has the most to lose. Close to 70% o the total

inland catch is in Asia, and 25% in Arica. These also happen to be

areas where many new large dams are proposed, including dams

that we know will cause great harm to sheries.

To paraphrase Bruce the shark inFinding Nemo, sh are

riends, AND ood. Clearly, the time has come to stop building

dams that destroy vital sheries. l

The slar air.

Cking with a slar ste.

ennng sr ct n argntnby Martin Orecchia

In Print



News BriefsGrass-green uelA team o Australian and Chi-

nese scientists has pioneered

a method to decontaminate

polluted land and provide a

renewable energy source in the

process. Their secret ingredi-

ent is an Arican relative o the

sugar-cane plant.

An experimental plantationo the miracle plant at Chinas

Shaoguan University is already

being used to generate electric-

ity or 100 households. The

research team is also hoping

to develop pilot projects o the

plant (called Giant Napier grass)

or Nigeria, Egypt, and possibly

Australia, which has an estimat-

ed 160,000 contaminated sites.

The projects managing direc-

tor, Proessor Ravi Naidu, says

giant napier grass was chosen

because it grows in extremelypoor soils and is ecient at

drawing heavy metals and other

pollutants out o contaminated

soil. The trials showed the grass

was eective at removing metals

like copper, nickel and cadmium,

as well as high concentrations o

zinc and lead.

By continually planting and

harvesting these crops, you can

lower the level o toxicity in the

soil and make the land t or

human uses again, including or

housing, says Naidu. The pro-cess may not work well enough

to make contaminated land suit-

able or growing crops, however.

Welsh dam still stingNearly hal a century ater the

lives were devastated, ormer

residents o Capel Celyn, a

village in Wales, are calling

or removal o the dam that

fooded their homes to create

reservoir or Liverpool, the UK

Independent reports.

In 1965, according to thearticle, Nearly 50 people and

way o lie in the Tryweryn val

ley which had lasted centuries

were replaced by nearly 70

billion litres o water to the

amilies and Welsh patriots, th

memories and resentment at

what they saw as high-handed

colonial treatment lingered, an

lingers still.

In mid-October, the last

remaining members o the

aected amilies held a march

and called or the removal othe dam.

One o the marchers is

Elwyn Edwards, now 67, who

saw his mother's amily lose

everything during the fooding

I remember the water com-

ing out in a huge gush. There

was nothing let not a tree,

a hedge, no sheep, cattle, or

birds singing. It was deathly

quiet, like a uneral. My amily

couldn't bring themselves to

watch it. They were rehoused

but were scattered all over theplace. We lost our heritage; we

lost everything.

In 2005, Liverpool ocially

apologized or the fooding o

Capel Celyn and surround-

ing armland, but they're still

waiting or a memorial a

bronze sculpture o a phoenix

rising rom the ashes. We've

raised 15,000 over the past 1

years,Mr Edwards said. "We

need 300,000. We need to

make sure people never orget

Canada dam shelvedTwo private companies have

shelved plans to build a large

hydro dam on the Slave River

in Alberta, Canada, ater a loca

First Nations tribe reused to

back the project.

Alberta-based ATCO and

TransCanada were working on

the proposal, but their eorts

Rating to Save New Zealand RiverIn late October, New Zealand groups Forest & Bird and Whitewa-

ter NZ organized a huge fotilla o rating and kayaking activists to

highlight the plight o the wild and scenic Mokihinui River, which is

threatened by a large dam. Some 140 people boated down the river

gorge, unurling a huge banner along the way. The action got the

attention o the national media.

This demonstrates the passion so many people have to ensure

that the Mokihinui one o New Zealands ew remaining wild riv-

ers should remain protected orever, said Debs Martin o Forest

& Bird. A dam on this river would have a disastrous eect on the

natural environment and also destroy a wild place loved by kayak-

ers, raters, shers and trampers.

In April, state-owned energy company Meridian Energy Ltd was

given consent to build an 85-metre-high (279-eet) hydropower

dam. The dam would food 14 kilometres o wild river gorge, and

drown 330 hectares o river and orests. The decision is under

appeal by both groups and the Department o Conservation (DOC)

with a hearing date o 2012.

Situated on the west coast o New Zealands South Island, the

Mokihinui is ranked seventh in the country or its natural values,

and is one o only a ew large rivers let that hasnt been dammed

or hydro; deorested or logging, arming, or other development;

or dewatered by irrigation.

It is home to 16 threatened animal species, and its many diverse

orest and riparian ecosystems provide important habitat and ood

sources. The river has abundant native sh, including the longn

eel, which is in serious decline across the country. With an historic

pack route through the gorge, and big whitewater, the Mokihinui

also draws wilderness adventurers.

Green Party co-leader Russel Norman, who took part in the fotil-

la, said New Zealand doesnt need the dams electricity, and that two

smaller hydro projects slated to go ahead were enough to meet local

needs. New Zealand also has great potential or energy eciency.

Meridian still needs permission to build the dam rom DOC,

which manages the land on behal o all New Zealanders. Drat

reports by DOC indicate that it would decline the application.

Meridian is now stepping up the pressure.

For more information: www.forestandbird.org.nz

Baters take actin. Pht: Ian Trard/iantrardphts.cm

Haresting Giant Napier Grass



to reach an agreement with the

Smith's Landing First Nation on

easibility studies came to a halt

in October.

A project spokesman said

the proposed run-o-river

acility would not have created

a huge reservoir, but some

reserve land belonging to the

Smith Landing First Nation

would have been fooded. Someo the tribe's people had to relo-

cate beore because o another

dam project.

There was a lot o heart-

ache, a lot o negativity that

happened when the govern-

ment orced Smith's Landing to

move rom Fort [Fitzgerald] to

Fort Smith, so people did not

want to experience that move

again, Smith's Landing Chie

Cheyeanne Paulette told CBC

News.

Atco and TransCanada willnot be advancing any urther

studies on the Slave River at

this time, a spokesman or

TransCanada reported.

Thai oodsoverwhelm damsNearly two weeks o heavy

fooding in October let at least

57 people dead and entire

villages and elds underwater

in Thailand. According to gov-ernment medical and disaster

agencies, the fooding aected

more than three million people

in Thailand alone (earlier

deadly foods also devastated

Vietnam). Many food survivors

were let stranded or days

without government aid. O-

cials called this case the worst

in hal a century.

Ten o Thailands 33 main

reservoirs were over-capac-

ity at the time, and orced to

open their dam gates. One o

the overwhelmed dams was

the Pasak Jolasit Dam, situated110 miles north o Bangkok.

Reports theNew York Times:

Engineers said that despite

many pleas rom cities and

towns downstream to hold

back the water, they instead

opened the gates wider when

the dams reservoir reached 122

percent o its planned capacity.

I we get any more water than

this, we might have problems

with the stability o the dam,

Sornmith Singkanong, the head

o water management, saidrom the dams control room.

The water level was the highest

recorded in the 11 years since

the dam was completed.

Bujagali ofcialsbig gambleSix ocials rom the com-

pany building Bujagali Dam in

Uganda were called beore the

Ugandan Parliament recently

to explain why they had usedgovernment unds intended or

project-aected communities to

make short-term investments

or a prot.

Bujagali Energy Limited and

Uganda Electricity Transmis-

sion Company Limited report-

edly diverted Sh10 billion

(US$4.3 million) in government

unds to their account in a pri-

vate bank in 2008, accumulat-

ing Sh460m in interest over two

years. The money was invested

without prior approval o the

implementing agency. Theinterest was apparently never

declared in the companys

books.

The money, which was in a

government escrow account or

the project, was meant or the

resettlement and compensation

o over 2,600 people aected by

the Bujagali transmission-line

project. The Government is to

spend over Sh30b on compen-

sation.

The project director, Glenn

Gaydar, explained that themoney was invested due to

delays in the project.

This is a serious case o

raud. Did the Government

instruct you to invest the

money and make prots? Why

did you request or money that

you were not ready to spend?

committee chairperson Nandala

Maabi asked.

Arica poised

or clean-energygold rushSub-Saharan Arica is expected

to become the new boom region

or global renewable energy

investment, according to a new

international study.

Market research rm Frost

and Sullivan has ound that

Kenya, Nigeria and South

Arica are instituting renewable

energy-riendly policies that

will attract major investment in

renewables.

The report states the

Sub-Saharan Arican renew-

able-energy market is expected

to triple in investment value

between 2010 and 2015, driven

by a signicant need or energy

diversication and energy secu-

rity o supply.

Indeed, South Arica

recently announced plans to

build the worlds largest solar

energy plant. The 5,000 MW

solar park will house several

solar thermal power stations. A

recent conerence on the park

drew 400 potential investors.

The South Arican govern-

ment hopes the park will have

a capacity o 1,000 MW as early

as 2012, and be at ull capacity

in about 10 years.

The project is part o theSouth Arican government's

plan to create 300,000 green

jobs in the country by 2020.

The Solar Park is expected to

create 12,300 construction jobs

annually in South Arica and

3,010 operations and mainte-

nance jobs by the time the last

solar plant is constructed.

Celebrate WorldToilet Day!Where has the time gone

we almost missed the tenth

anniversary o the World Toilet

Summit! The annual conerence

has the worthy goal o nding

sanitation solutions or the 2.5

billion people now without rea-

sonable access to sae toilets.

The event includes sessions

about innovative toilet design,

micro-nancing to help bring

good sanitation to the poor

communities that need it, and

green plumbing innovations.The topic is one o the major

public health issues acing the

world today; 1 out o 5 children

die o diarrheal disease. Thats

5,000 children a day, every day.

The meeting is organized by

the World Toilet Organisation,

a Singapore-based NGO, which

also sponsors World Toilet

Day on November 19 (put it in

your calendar or next year).

The days message is serious,

but the group brings a dash o

humor to the event, known asThe Big Squat. The premise is

simple: Simply squat or one

minute in a highly visible loca-

tion, and then have a plan to

explain to anyone who notices

why you're all squatting, the

groups website states.

Get ideas or your own

event rom the groups

Big Squat Toolkit at

http://tinyurl.com/256kerr.

on N. 11, thusands peple in 16 cuntries jined in

slidarity t call r the cancellatin Mexics El Zaptill Dam,

which wuld fd the twn where Riers r Lie 3 was held

(see p. 8 r mre n this histric meeting).



In the Mekong region, ongoing economic growth despite the

global economic crisis continues to drive a push or extensive

dam-building. Since we last reported on the Mekong regions

new dam builders rom Thailand, Vietnam and China in 2007,

these developers have proposed even more ambitious and con-

troversial projects, including a cascade o 11 dams on the MekongRivers mainstream (see p. 1). Climate change is increasingly cited

as a justication or dam building, as is a serious drought and then

foods that have ravaged the region this year.

Imprting Pwer, Exprting CstsPlans or extensive hydropower development are nothing new to

the Mekong region, yet the decades o regional confict prevented

many large dam projects rom proceeding. As peace returned

in the early 1990s, plans or extensive dam construction were

revived. These plans are shaped by growing political cooperation

between the Mekong countries, and aspirations or a regional

transmission grid ueled largely by hydropower projects (a plan

originally conceived by the Asian Development Bank).

The massive nancial fows pouring into inrastructure andother investment projects throughout the Mekong region rom

Thailand, Vietnam and China is increasingly marginalizing the

Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and Western donors

that at one time were the regions principal hydropower propo-

nents. Even without the development banks, hydropower remains

high on the agenda o the regions governments.

Massie Hydrpwer PtentialThailands government estimates that electricity demand in

Thailand will approximately double to 65,600 megawatts (MW)

by 2030. Vietnam, one o the worlds astest growing economies,

predicts its demand will triple to 69,500 MW by 2020. Burma,

Cambodia and Laos have more modest domestic demand growth

predictions, although all governments have committed to urgentlydevelop electricity inrastructure. These government projections

are challenged by civil society groups who argue that improved

power planning and pursuing energy eciency and renewable

and decentralized energy projects is the best way orward, not the

business-as-usual mega-projects proposed by the governments.

Thailand, which has already developed much o its domestic

hydropower potential and aces sti opposition to urther projects

at home, plans to import at least 14,000 MW o hydroelectric-

ity rom neighboring Burma, Laos and Yunnan Province over the

coming 15 years. Vietnam plans to develop almost all o its viable

hydropower over the next 20 years, totaling at least 17,000 MW,

as well as importing electricity rom Cambodia, China, and Laos.

Responding to this demand, the governments o Burma, Cambodia

and Laos are keen to develop their relatively unexploited hydro-power potential or both electricity export, which would earn

these governments oreign currency, and domestic demand.

The New Dam PrpnentsAs the new century dawned and new economic realities and political

relationships emerged, private-sector hydropower developers rom

Thailand, Vietnam, China, Malaysia and Russia picked up the hy-

dropower plans that were abandoned by Western companies during

the 1997 Asian nancial crisis. These developers are now proposing

dozens o projects throughout the region, bringing with them the sup-

port o nanciers rom their own countries, and are oten backed by

infuential political players and their governments bureaucracies.

Project developers rom Vietnam include the state-owned utility

Electricity Vietnam (EVN), and Song Da Corporation, Vietnams

largest construction company. They are building tens o dams in

Vietnam and several more in Laos that will export power to Viet-nam. Dam developers rom China include the worlds largest dam

builder, Sinohydro Corporation, and China Southern Power Grid

(CSG). These and other Chinese dam builders have tens o project

under construction or under consideration in Burma, Laos and

Cambodia or the domestic and regional power markets.

Thailands electricity utility, EGAT, is a state-owned enterprise

that dominates power planning and development in Thailand. It

has increasingly avored importing power rom neighboring coun

tries. Several o Thailands largest independent power companies

including the Electricity Generating Company o Thailand and

Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding Company, have stated

that investing in regional energy projects is core to their business

strategies. Thailands major commercial banks have proven to be

willing backers o these regional dam projects. While most majorThai energy companies and Thai banks have committed to some

orm o corporate governance and corporate social responsibil-

ity on paper, in the case o the regional hydropower projects that

they are involved in there is little evidence that they are seriously

implementing these commitments in practice. These publicly

ELLEN WOHL, a fluvialgeomorphologist, exploresthe confluence of human and

environmental change on ten of

the great rivers of the world,and makes a strong case for theneed to steward positive change

in these diverse waterways.

Cloth $40.00

The University of Chicago Press www.press.uchicago.edu

Unrng t Mkng Rgn N Dm prnntby Carl Middleton

Continued opposi


ADvERTISEMENT



Mkng Dm Frz continued from page 1

ports ndings upon its release in October, calling it an important

new body o inormation on the Mekong and the potential impacts

o these projects on the rivers mainstream. The World Bank also

conrmed that it would not nance or invest in the projects.

US Senator Jim Webb, Chairman o the Senate Committee on

Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacic A-

airs, next warned that the US has a strategic interest in averting

regional confict and should consider withdrawing unding to the

MRC i the dams proceed. This sentiment was echoed by US Sec-retary o State Hillary Clinton during recent travels to the region,

as she called on the Vietnamese and Cambodian governments to

pause beore major construction continues.

Damn the trpedsThe million-dollar question now is whether the members o the

MRC Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam will heed the

warnings oretold by the report. Just weeks beore the SEA was

publicly released, the MRC announced the start o regional deci-

sion-making procedures or the Xayaburi Dam, the rst o the

planned mainstream dams.

As signatories o the 1995 Mekong Agreement, regional gov-

ernments have committed to the equal and sustainable use o

the Mekong River and thus must notiy, consult, and then reachagreement with their neighbors on proposed mainstream projects.

The SEA was commissioned as a rst step toward this, in order or

regional governments to understand the implications o the main-

stream dams and provide recommendations on whether or not the

projects should be pursued. The move orward with decision-mak-

ing without consideration o the SEA has placed the legitimacy o

the MRC as an advisor to regional governments into question.

The Save the Mekong coalition, an international coalition o

NGOs, academics and riends working to keep the Mekong ree-

fowing, has called on the MRC to halt the decision-making process

and cancel the Xayaburi Dam. In a letter submitted to the MRC,

the coalition states: Abundant evidence produced by the MRC

itsel has already demonstrated the Xayaburi dam to be exception-

ally destructive, and a project that should not go ahead. As theMRC has ailed to take the most basic o measures in ensuring

public participation, transparency and due consideration o the

SEA report, the coalition states that the MRC is racing irrespon-

sibly ahead in support o the construction o the Xayaburi Dam.

The MRC has yet to announce how it plans to give the report the

due diligence it requires.

Despite the MRCs silence, the SEA is now stirring a debate

within regional government agencies. Thai Senator Prasarn Maruk-

pitak, Chair o the Senate sub-committee on Mekong Development

helped lead a roundtable discussion on the issue among commit-

tee members. One clear message rom this roundtable was the

need or greater dialogue within Thailand. The Thai Senate is now

planning to organize a orum on the SEA and Xayaburi Dam with

the Thailand National Mekong Committee. Additionally, a seminar

organized by Save the Mekong partners inside Vietnam was well

attended by deputies o Vietnams National Assembly, who voiced

worry over the impacts the dams would cause to the Mekong Delta

and the rise in regional tensions that could result.As the warnings o a disaster on the Mekong continue to

resonate in the region, International Rivers, along with the Save

the Mekong coalition, will continue to press or a moratorium

on mainstream dam building, while working to ensure that the

voices and needs o riparian communities are a central aspect o

regional decision making. Together, we will challenge the Mekong

River Commission and its development partners to live up to

international standards o accountability, transparency and public

participation, and to work toward nding solutions or the regions

energy needs that dont sacrice this magnicent lieline. With so

much at stake, the need is both urgent and tremendous. l

Download the SEA report here: www.mrcmekong.org/ish/SEA.htm

Learn more about Save the Mekong Coalition:www.savethemekong.org/

Mkng Dm prnnt continued

traded energy and construction companies and commercial banks

are driven to maintain investor condence and keep stock priceshigh, and thereore have a keen interest in promoting new large-

scale power projects even where better energy options exist.

Many civil society groups have concluded that existing elec-

tricity plans mostly serve the interests o the electricity utilities,

energy companies, and the construction industry, rather than the

needs o electricity consumers. Yet, through community protests

at individual project sites, NGO policy analysis o national energy

plans, and regional civil society campaigns such as the Save the

Mekong movement, these out-o-date and destructive dam plans

continue to be doggedly challenged with the belie that a more

sustainable and equitable energy uture is possible. l

Key Findings the SEA

nThe dams would turn more than hal the Mekonginto a series o reservoirs

nThe dams would block important sh migrationroutes, resulting in US$476 million per year in lost

sheries income.

nFisheries are the main source o protein in theregion, but Cambodia and Laos would be the hardest

hit, as little to no alternatives exist. Livestock produc-

tion would be unable to compensate or the loss.

nBy inundating agricultural land and blocking vitalsediment and nutrient fows, the dams would reduce

agricultural productivity by more than $25 million/year.

nAs a biodiversity hotspot, the dams would lead topermanent losses o species o global importance.

Some areas o the Mekong would see losses o up to

hal the recorded species, along with the extinction

o fagship species such as the Giant Mekong Catsh

and Irrawaddy dolphin.

nThe dams would contribute to growing inequalityin the region, as the regions poor would suer thegreatest impacts.

nMany o the risks associated with the dams cannotbe mitigated and would represent losses o economic,

social and environmental assets.

nRecommendations include a 10-year deerment indecision making, the ull translation and systematic

distribution o the SEA report, urther studies to be

undertaken, and that the mainstream never be used

as a test case.


16/16

over the past several months, protests against big dams in

northeast India have been a regular eature in the headlines.

What initially started as students movement against big

dams in the state o Arunachal Pradesh has now snowballed into

becoming a major election issue or next years election in the state

o Assam.

Spearheading the anti-dam protest in Assam is the Krishak

Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), a peasant movement which has

declared that political parties supporting the construction o mega-

dams in Assam would be voted out. Giving a call o nal warning

to central government, KMSS sent a petition signed by more than

110,000 people to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, demanding a

complete moratorium on all government clearances to mega-damsin the Northeast.

In Arunachal Pradesh, the state government has signed 168

memoranda o understanding with private and public companies

or big dams in the mountainous region. Alarms are being raised in

the state o Assam over the dams downstream impacts. A detailed

study on the downstream impacts o 2000 MW Lower Subansiri

Dam by an expert group o aculty rom three Indian universities

has recommended that no mega-dams should be built in tectoni-

cally unstable northeastern India.

The Arunachal government, however, chose to downplay these

concerns, saying the downstream impacts are exaggerated. It

strongly lobbied or speedy clearances o all hydro projects in the

state by writing to concerned ministries, ignoring suggestions by

Indias environment minister that the Prime Minister stop all dam

construction work in the region until an assessment to survey the

dams impacts was completed. Several Arunachal parliamentarian

have gone so ar as to label people opposing the dams as anti-na-

tionals.

Agitated by this response, protesters in Assam burnt egies o

Arunachal states Chie Minister. Two student groups have issued

call or joint resistance against the dams.

Aware o the growing public opinion against big dams, the As-

sam government has been taking a posture expressing concern

over wanton building o dams in Arunachal Pradesh. The credibil-ity o such statements remains to be time tested.

In one U-turn development, the environment minister has

been accused o contradicting his own earlier statement calling

or a halt on mega-dams in the region. In an October 14 letter to

the Prime Minister on the Lower Siang project, he writes that it

should go orward because o its strategic importance. The Lower

Siang Project would be built on the Siang River, which fows rom

China into Arunachal Pradesh. The Adi Students Union, which ha

been ghting this project, says it is not demoralized by the sudden

change o tone rom the o Environment Minister, and vows to

continue its ght. l

ant-Dm prtt Gt ludr n Nrtt indby Raju Mimi

2150 Allstn Way, Suite 300

Berkeley, CA 94704-1378 USA

internatinalriers.rg

Intern the MnthKate Ross joined the Rivers orLie 3 (see p. 8) team in June andmanaged to dive right into thethick o things. Whether it wasassisting international delegateswith housing or making lastminute travel arrangements,Kate handled it all with a broadsmile and great competence. Inher own words, The meetingwas an inspiring, exhilarating and

exhausting experience. It wassuch an honor to meet everyonein person, to be inspired by theirstories, their struggles and theirexpertise. Ros para la vida, nopara la muerte!

Documents

World Rivers Review 25, diciembre 2010