Successes

Government Scraps Four Proposed Dams on the Teesta River in India

River ritual along the Teesta as part of the March 14th International Day of Action for Rivers
In a significant move for communities across Northeast India fighting the construction of harmful dams, on June 10th, 2012 the government of Sikkim announced plans to scrap the construction of four hydroelectric power projects on the Teesta River.

Lessons from Myitsone Dam in Burma

Myitsone Protest (courtesy of the BBC)
Myitsone Protest (courtesy of the BBC) The success of Burma's civil society groups in halting the Myitsone Dam may come as a surprise to many, but it is a product of the depth and strength of opposition to the project. It is also an indication that a different type of Burmese government is now in charge. The Burmese government's decision to suspend the controversial project on the headwaters of the Irrawaddy also highlights the serious risks of not engaging with civil society critics. The Myitsone Dam was one of the first projects to really "get under my skin" here at I

UN Body Calls for Suspension of Gibe III Dam to Protect World Heritage

Lake Turkana World Heritage Site
Lake Turkana World Heritage Site Alison M. Jones for www.nowater-nolife.org Places like the Grand Canyon, Taj Mahal and Great Wall of China are of such outstanding cultural or natural value that the world’s governments have committed to protect and preserve them for future generations. The UN’s World Heritage Committee recently called on the Ethiopian government and Chinese financiers to suspend the Gibe III hydropower project to fulfill their obligation for the protection of such a site. Read more about this exciting development. Lake Turkana in Northern Kenya is the world’s largest

Locals Still Wary Despite Cancellation of Inambari Dam

Men holding protest sign
Men holding protest sign Foto SER For over a month, close to 2,000 people in the Puno area of the Peruvian Amazon went on strike in an effort to convince the government to cancel mining concessions and the Inambari Dam. They blocked access roads to the region and held mass protests. To appease the strikers, the government established a high-level commission to review the Inambari Dam. After a tense meeting with local communities on June 13, Commission Chair and Vice-Minister of Energy Luis Gonzales Talledo cancelled the project, stating that the Brazilian consortium Egasur's rights to develo

Mega-Dam in Peruvian Amazon Cancelled

Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Decision by Peruvian government a blow to Brazil’s regional energy plansThe Peruvian government announced yesterday that the massive Inambari Dam, planned on a major Amazonian tributary, had been cancelled after years of strong community opposition. For the past 36 days, close to 2,000 people in the Puno area had been on strike in an effort to convince the government to cancel mining concessions and the dam project. They blocked access roads to the region and held mass protests. To appease the strikers, the government established a high-level commission to review the Inambari Dam. After a

People’s Power Blocks Dam Construction in Northeast India

Activists return turbines for Lower Subansiri Dam to sender
Activists return turbines for Lower Subansiri Dam to sender With more than 150 dams proposed for construction and 11 projects in operation, Northeast India is one of the hotspots of global dam building. The biggest project under construction is the Lower Subansiri Dam on the border between the states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Social movements have organized massive protests against the mega-project in the Himalayan foothills over several years. In a huge success, they have just managed to send the turbines for the project back to the sender. As we have documented in our report, Moun

Save the Mary Activists Celebrate Their Victory One Year Later

Save the Mary River campaign This weekend, communities throughout the Mary River Valley in Australia will be partaking in some hard-earned festivities. One year ago, Australia's Environment Minister announced the rejection of the proposed Traveston Dam on the Mary River, due to its ''unacceptable impacts on matters of national environment significance.'' The Save the Mary campaign had won. It's been an intense four-year struggle for the Mary River Valley people and their allies, and the effort to restore the river and the community continues. The Mary River Catchment

Victory! India Scraps Large Hydropower Project on the Ganges

Bhagirathi River at Gangotri, Uttarakhand, India
Bhagirathi River at Gangotri, Uttarakhand, India Atarax42 For the third year in a row, one of India's most eminent scientists, Professor AD Agarwal, has carried out a "fast-unto-death" in protest against the 600 MW Loharinag Pala hydropower project in Uttarakhand, India. Last year, project construction stopped after Prof. Agarwal came close to dying on the 38th day of his fast, only to resume a year later. Earlier this week, lead by the Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, a group of ministers (GoM) announced they would scrap the project completely. As part of the decision, the go

China: Not the Rogue Dam Builder We Feared It Would Be?

Will Hasankeyf not be flooded by Chinese dam builders?
Will Hasankeyf not be flooded by Chinese dam builders? peevishsoul A few years ago, Chinese dam builders and financiers appeared on the global hydropower market with a bang. China Exim Bank and companies such as Sinohydro started to take on large, destructive projects in countries like Burma and Sudan, which had before been shunned by the international community. Their emergence threatened to roll back progress regarding human rights and the environment which civil society had achieved over many years. However, new evidence suggests that Chinese dam builders and financiers are trying to beco

Mexican Dams Postponed

Tuesday, December 1, 2009
From World Rivers Review December 2009 For six years the Mexican Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) dodged concerns by communities resisting construction of La Parota Dam on the Papagayo River in Guerrero State. The communities' fierce opposition never flagged, to the point that CFE recently announced it is postponing the project at least until 2018. When word of the dam proposal spread, it was first met with bewilderment. But after CFE cleared thousands of trees to open up roads for project construction, and company trucks attempted to go through peasants' communal lands

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