Affected People

China’s Government Proposes New Dam Building Spree

Baoshan Village on the upper Yangtze River
Monday, February 28, 2011
Baoshan Village on the upper Yangtze River Li Hong Update: China's State Council announces blueprint for dam construction that includes controversial projects like the Nu/Salween cascade and the Xiaonanhai Dam. Under its 12th Five-Year Plan, the Chinese government proposes to build 120 gigawatts of new hydropower plants on the Nu/Salween, Lancang/Upper Mekong, Jinsha/Upper Yangtze, and the Yarlung Tsangpo (which becomes the Brahmaputra). This equals more than one new Three Gorges Dam every year for the next five years, and is more than any other country has built in its entire history. China

New Chinese Dam Project Fuels Ethnic Conflict in Sudan

Protest against the Kajbar Dam in Sudan
Protest against the Kajbar Dam in Sudan Dams have impoverished tens of thousands of people and triggered serious human rights violations in Sudan. Now Chinese companies have won contracts to build three more hydropower projects in the country. Of particular concerns are plans to dam the Nile near Kajbar, on the lands of ancient Nubia. This project has already caused massive human rights abuses. Affected people are strongly opposed to it, and have raised the specter of a second Darfur conflict. The Sudanese government plans to transform the Nile, the only stretch of fertile land north of Kh

Anti-Dam Protests Get Louder in Northeast India

Friday, December 10, 2010
From December 2010 World Rivers Review Over the past several months, protests against big dams in northeast India have been a regular feature in the headlines. What initially started as student's movement against big dams in the state of Arunachal Pradesh has now snowballed into becoming a major election issue for next year's election in the state of 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 of mega- dams in Assam would be voted out. Giving a call of

Uncovering the Mekong Region’s New Dam Proponents

Friday, December 10, 2010
From December 2010 World Rivers Review In the Mekong region, ongoing economic growth despite the global economic crisis continues to drive a push for extensive dam-building. Since we last reported on the Mekong region's new dam builders from Thailand, Vietnam and China in 2007, these developers have proposed even more ambitious and controversial projects, including a cascade of 11 dams on the Mekong River's mainstream (see "New Report Urges Ten-Year Dam-Building Freeze on Mekong"). Climate change is increasingly cited as a justification for dam building, as is a serious drought and then fl

Solidarity Camp Brings Supporters to Ancient Turkish Town

Local dancers perform at the solidarity camp.
Friday, December 10, 2010
From December 2010 World Rivers Review The historic town of Hasankeyf , under threat from the Ilisu Dam now under construction on the Tigris River in Turkey, was the site of a unique "solidarity camp" in October. Local dancers perform at the solidarity camp. Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive Organizers say the intent of the camp was to raise public awareness in Turkey and worldwide about the problems with the dam, and to foster an intense resistance "against" this destructive dam, and a public drive to preserve Hasankeyf and the Tigris Valley. The 12,000-year-old town once served as an i

India’s Dam Building Abroad: Ignoring Lessons from Home?

A Day of Action protest against India’s plans to dam Burma’s rivers.
Friday, December 10, 2010
From December 2010 World Rivers Review Indian companies and state-owned enterprises have rapidly expanded their domestic and overseas investments in recent years. Not least motivated by the example of Chinese investors, they are trying to gain access to foreign resources, win international contracts, and strengthen their relations with trading blocks such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). They have long had a presence in neighboring countries such as Nepal and Bhutan, and are now also spreading to more distant countries in Asia and Africa. This article looks at the tra

Report Urges Ten-Year Dam-Building Freeze on Mekong

The site of the Xayaburi Dam, the first of eleven planned Mekong mainstream dams.
Friday, December 10, 2010
From December 2010 World Rivers Review The Mekong region is at a crossroads. A ground-breaking new report urging a 10-year dam-building freeze on the Mekong River mainstream has raised the profile of the risks of a dam- boom on the highly productive and valuable river, while also putting a spotlight on the decision-makers who will determine its fate. The debate is noticeably shifting away from strict belief that dams are the best way to serve regional energy needs, and toward increased recognition of the value of a healthy river that supports millions with its natural abundance. The site of

IPS article on Nam Theun 2 (December 7, 2010)

Tuesday, December 7, 2010
World Bank-backed Dam Powers Ahead, Despite Social CostBANGKOK, Dec 7, 2010 (IPS) - As the World Bank returns to the big dam business with the inauguration of Laos’ largest hydropower project, it is coming under the scrutiny of familiar adversaries: green groups and grassroots activists.On the eve of the Dec. 9 ceremony to celebrate the Nam Theun Two (NT2) hydropower project in the landlocked country, a coalition of activists fired a letter to the Bank’s president, Robert Zoellick, citing social and environmental troubles that have surfaced with the building of NT2."More than 6,200 ethnic

Nam Theun 2 Dam Inauguration Hides Project’s Real Costs

Tuesday, December 7, 2010
More Than 100,000 People Continue to Suffer Impacts After over a decade of controversy, the Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Project in central Laos was inaugurated this week, although there is little reason to celebrate. As tens of thousands of people continue to suffer the impacts of the project, 34 civil society groups and individuals from 18 countries have called on the World Bank and Asian Development Bank to take immediate action to meet their promises to affected communities.The project has displaced 6,200 indigenous people on the Nakai Plateau and affected more than 110,000 people downstream w

Unresolved Issues on the Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Project in Lao PDR and the Hydropower Strategy of the Banks

Monday, December 6, 2010
34 civil society groups and individuals from 18 countries have written to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank this week calling on the Banks to take immediate action to ensure sustainable livelihoods for the affected communities. Some of the issues raised by the groups include: People on the Nakai Plateau still have no means for a sustainable livelihood, threatening their food security, as poor quality land in the resettlement sites continues to cause problems for villagers’ agriculture, the long-term production of the reservoir fisheries is in doubt, and outsiders are encroaching on

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