Press Release

Five workers were shot dead and some 30 injured when police evicted striking workers from a Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) construction camp in Lesotho on September 14. For at least a week after the killings, up to 1,000 workers remained in a nearby Catholic church where they had sought refuge after the bloody encounter. The World Bank has loaned $110 million for the Katse Dam, the first to be built in the multi–dam water transfer scheme, and is currently considering making loans for a second, Mohale Dam. It also lent $8 million in concessionary loans for project design. The pr

The Nam Theun 2 Dam in Laos is likely to cost significantly more and yield significantly lower revenues than claimed by its backers, reveals an economic analysis commissioned by International Rivers Network.1 The analysis was carried out by Dr. Wayne White, an engineer and hydropower expert who is a partner at US-based management and environment consultants SmithOBrien.2 The World Bank is currently considering whether to help subsidize the controversial dam. Using official project documents and World Bank reports, Dr White concludes:4 · Even using conservative assumptions in terms of interes