Report

Lashing Out at NGOs will not bring electricity to Uganda: Response to the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Hon. Syda N. M. Bbumba’s Article Titled,"Response to Article attributed to Col. (RTD) Dr. Kiiza Besigye"

Published by International Rivers, Rivers Watch East and Southeast Asia and Friends of the Earth Japan. Features case studies of six Japanese-funded dam projects at various stages of implementation. 

Executive Summary Water conservation and demand management (WC/DM) holds tremendous potential to help the region to meet its water needs. Urban and agricultural water use in southern Africa is highly inefficient. In South Africa, for example, it is estimated that nearly half of urban water is wasted through water loss or inefficiency. Similarly, irrigation in Southern Africa, which represents 69 percent of total consumption, is estimated to be less than 50 percent efficient. If irrigation practices could be made only 10 percent more efficient across the region, 2.5 billion cubic meters would b

Report Reveals How Uganda Dams are Draining World's Second Largest LakeA report by an independent Kenya–based hydrologic engineer confirms that over–releases from two dams on the Nile in Uganda are a primary cause of the severe drops in Lake Victoria in recent years. The report, Connections Between Recent Water Level Drops in Lake Victoria, Dam Operations and Drought, finds that about 55% of the lake’s drop during 2004–05 is due to the Owen Falls dams (now known as Nalubaale and Kiira dams) releasing excessive amounts of water from the lake. The natural rock formation controlling Lake

Thanks to an anonymous source, new data on Lake Victoria and its outflow management has become available since the original report. The data consists of observed daily lake levels, associated agreed curve discharges and actual Nalubaale and Kiira Dam releases for September 2004 to the beginning of March 2006, as reported by Eskom Uganda Ltd. Original 2005 Estimates Satisfactorily Accurate In the original study it was assumed that during 2005, precipitation was 15% lower than normal, and evaporation was 10% greater than normal. Based on the new data and assuming again 10% above average an

This report by the Tibet Justice Center reviews the Chinese government’s plans to build a dam on eastern Tibet’s most sacred lake, Megoe Tso. In addition to being [spiritually] precious to the local population, Megoe Tso is also an important site for ecologists, geologists and plant and animal conservationists. It is the largest lake in the "mountains of southwest China," a region identified by Conservation International as one of world’s biodiversity "hotspots" – the richest and most threatened reservoirs of plants and animals on Earth. Unfortunately, experts w

The World Bank’s Failed Efforts to Restore Lives and Livelihoods of Dam-Affected People in LesothoWhile the Lesotho Highlands Water Project increased the fortunes of the nation’s elite, the majority of Lesotho's citizens were not able to cash in on the LHWP. In total, approximately 1.5 percent of Lesotho’s citizenry is directly affected by the project. It weakened local economies and severely strained the social fabric of nearby villages. Despite a long-term compensation program, huge amounts of resources devoted to “rural development,” and many good intentions, the welfare of affect