Press Release

Hundreds Forced to Flee Homes as Merowe Dam Reservoir Waters Rise Without Warning

Thursday, August 10, 2006
Civil society demands an end to impoundment and resolution of resettlement issues as fears of violence increase LONDON: More than 100 families were suddenly forced to abandon their homes on August 7 because of rising flood waters after the authorities at the Merowe Dam in Sudan unexpectedly closed the dam’s gates and began filling its reservoir. No warning was given of the impending flooding. The families, all from the Amri people, have been left without food or shelter. Six other villages are threatened with imminent inundation. Villagers from around the area are trying to provide fo

Sudan Government Massacres Merowe Dam Affected People

Saturday, April 22, 2006
On April 22, 2006, the militia of the Merowe Dam authorities, armed with machine guns and heavy artillery, attacked the affected people of Amri village while they were gathering in the village school in the dam–affected area. The Amri communities have been vigorously resisting displacement in the past months. The attacking militia opened fire on people without warning when they were having breakfast in the school courtyard. Three people were immediately killed and more than fifty injured. Eyewitness say the dam militia attacked the school using 16 pick–up land cruisers equipped with

Independent Review Reveals Serious Flaws in Sudan’s Merowe Dam

Wednesday, March 22, 2006
The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Merowe Dam in Sudan, the largest hydropower project currently under construction in Africa, is of poor quality and does not address many of the project’s potential impacts on the environment. These are the main findings of an independent review of the EIA which was just published by EAWAG, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology. The Merowe Dam is a prominent example of China’s expansive role as an investor in international energy and mining projects. International Rivers Network calls on the companies that are dev

ADB Plan Supports a Dozen More Dams for the Mekong

Tuesday, August 5, 2003
Critics say plan is destructive, 40 years out of dateA new Asian Development Bank report has recommended the construction of a regional power grid in mainland Southeast Asia fueled exclusively by hydropower. Twelve dams in Burma, China and Laos are proposed to generate power for consumers in Thailand and Vietnam. The long-awaited report, released last month by the ADB and carried out by the Norwegian hydropower consulting company Norconsult, examines different scenarios of grid development and power cooperation. The report recommends a $43 billion generation and transmission system which inclu

World Bank Board Approves Nam Theun 2, Marks Start to Ill–Conceived "High–Risk" Strategy

Thursday, March 31, 2005
The World Bank Board of Directors voted today to approve the Nam Theun 2 dam in Laos. Nam Theun 2 is the first major dam to be supported by the World Bank since it announced its intention to ramp up lending for large dams and other "high–risk" big infrastructure projects in 2003. Aviva Imhof, Campaigns Director of International Rivers, comments: "Laos is poor and in desperate need of development. The country cannot afford a project like Nam Theun 2, which will bring more benefits to the Lao government elite and foreign consultants than Laos’ poor. We fear for the lives of the tens of thous

Grand Inga - A Dam for Prestige, Not Poverty Reduction in Dem. Republic of Congo

Thursday, March 15, 2007
Cameroon -- "Access to affordable and clean electricity for the millions of Africans who today have none" is a fitting goal for the World Energy Council (WEC)’s energy planning in Africa.1 But their answer, the $50 billion USD Grand Inga hydropower scheme, is not the panacea project that the WEC would like it to be. The WEC is preparing to convene an International Forum on the Grand Inga Project "How to make the Grand Inga Hydropower Project happen for Africa" which will take place in Gaborone, Botswana, 16-17 March 2007. "Grand Inga is not meant to benefit Africa’s poor," said Terri Hatha

Random Prosecution and Arrest of Hamdab* Dam Affected People

Friday, December 10, 2004
The Security Organ of the Sudan Government has taken measures and moved to haphazardly prosecute and arrest persons whom the Organ doubted as supporters of the Movement of Displaced by Hamadab Dam (MOD). The following persons were unlawfully arrested yesterday and taken to an undisclosed location: 1) Numeri Hassan Omar 2) Hassan Siddiq Atolabi 3) El Nazir Omar Al Tahir MOD openly declares that these persons are innocent people and have no relation whatsoever with the movement. It has become clear that the Security Organ believes that, just being from the dam affected area warrants arrest. The

NGOs Demand World Bank Investigation Into Massacres

Thursday, May 9, 1996
Report Reveals 376 Murdered After Resisting Eviction International Rivers and Witness for Peace International Rivers and human rights group Witness for Peace have today written to World Bank President James Wolfensohn calling for an independent investigation into World Bank involvement with Guatemala’s Chixoy Dam. A recent report from Witness for Peace* reveals that between 1980 and 1982 some 376 people, mostly women and children, were brutally murdered in a series of massacres when they resisted eviction from their village of Río Negro to make way for the Chixoy Reservoir.

Internal Investigation Shows World Bank Water Project Destroys Livelihoods in Pakistan

Wednesday, October 25, 2006
A World Bank-funded water project in Pakistan has led to widespread environmental harm and suffering among local communities. The project has contributed to deadly floods, and violates six of the Bank’s binding policies. These are the main conclusions of an investigation by the Inspection Panel, the World Bank’s independent investigative body. The Bank’s Board of Directors will discuss the findings of the investigation on October 31. In response to the Panel report, ActionAid Pakistan and International Rivers say that the World Bank continues to turn a blind eye to the impacts of its pro

Campos Novos Dam Builders Downplay Danger

Severe damage at the base of the Compos Novos Dam
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
The controversial 626–foot (202–meter) tall Campos Novos Dam in Southern Brazil suffered an uncontrolled release of water last week, completely emptying the reservoir of the recently completed dam. Aerial photographs released yesterday by Friends of the Earth Brazil show major cracks at the base of the dam, suggesting potentially irreparable damage. Severe damage at the base of the Compos Novos Dam "If this uncontrolled release had happened during the rainy season thousands of people could have been drowned," charged Glenn Switkes, International Rivers Network Latin America

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