Record Number of Actions in 2010

Thu, 03/25/2010 - 9:55am

600 villagers gathered on March 14 to bless the fertility of the Salween River, and voice their opposition to large dams.
600 villagers gathered on March 14 to bless the fertility of the Salween River, and voice their opposition to large dams.
Painporn Deetes
This year's International Day of Action for Rivers set a record with 136 actions in 27 countries! All over the world people demonstrated against dams, educated others, and celebrated rivers and the lives they sustain. These voices across the globe fought for their cause and contributed to this year's unprecedented success.

See more inspiring photos of actions! 

Part of the Day of Action for Rivers' triumph in 2010 came from welcoming new participating countries, such as Israel, where Friends of the Earth, Middle East held a Palestinian-Israeli children's "Water-Trustees" meeting, and a "Jordan Valley Youth Leadership" workshop. In Turkey, Day of Action activities reached new heights when more than fifteen provinces protested against the energy and water policies of the Turkish State. The 2010 Day of Action for Rivers even brought together activists for rivers such as the Mekong, Irrawaddy, Ping, and Yom all at the Thailand and Burma border on the Salween River to perform a ritual blessing for the river's health.

From the Cobre River in Panama to Indus River in Pakistan, people danced, marched, created artwork, sang, and protested to promote awareness of dam affected people and threatened ecosystems. Here at International Rivers, we congratulate everyone who took action in March 2010, and offer a complete report of these global actions as acknowledgment and praise of your efforts. Be sure to check out our International Day of Action for Rivers photo set on Flickr for amazing pictures from this year's events.

It's clear from the activities this year that the movement against dams and the promotion of free-flowing rivers is strong and growing. So remember to join us next year on March 14, 2011 for the International Day of Action Against Dams and For Rivers, Water, and Life!