| Beware Dam Makers |
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thing to do. But now, a century later, we are paying the price of
standing in nature's way.
Dams are built to control floods, to store water for hydropower, supply
for agriculture, industry and drinking purposes. However, they are not
all that good. Many questions have come to the surface regarding the
seemingly good image of dams. They have had an adverse social and
environmental impact on their surroundings. For example, dams are credited
with displacing anywhere between 40 to 80 million people in different
parts of the world. People worldwide are committed to caring for their
rivers; water bodies that know the best ways to producing electricity and
people understand that access to water is a basic human right and know
that respect for human rights must be the core principle.
The World Commission on Dams (WCD) has recommended transparent and
democratic decision making about large dam projects. The WCD asserts
alternatives to dams exist and there is a need to define the objective
clearly and explore alternatives.
According to the WCD, five values govern the entire process and are
based on the concerns raised.
1.. Equity
2.. Efficiency
3.. Participatory decision making
4.. Sustainability
5.. Accountability
The report boils down to this: Worldwide, large dams have not provided
benefits, which were promoted and were predicted by the proponents of
large dams. At the same time, negative impacts of large dams have been
far greater than imagined. The outstanding social and environmental
problems associated with existing dams need to be addressed and that the
rights of all people especially indigenous people, must be respected and
risk must be fairly analyzed and publicly discussed for the thousands
of people who are expected to lose their fisheries and other livelihoods
and especially because they have never been consulted to assess
potential risks they would be subjected to in short and long term.
People's Lives & Rights at Risk (Pakistan Context):
In the context of Pakistan it is a fact that the affected people are
involuntary risk takers, who have been provided no opportunity to
participate in decisions affecting their lives. As examples, case studies of
the Indus Delta and Chashma Right Bank Canal may be referred.
INDUS DELTA: Indus Delta is home to centuries old indigenous
communities. These people have globally recognized rights on the Indus River.
According to the law of the land, they also posses constitutional right to
be consulted before starting any water project on the Indus. Fisher
folk of the Indus Delta have historical and traditional rights on Indus,
but they are not even recognized as affectees of large dams. Indigenous
communities are totally ignored in the entire consultations and
decision making process regarding dam development. People have suffered due to
big dam constructions as they are paying the huge cost of ecological
disaster. And the situation will become more alarming following the
construction of more dams. Communities will be exposed to further risks due
to such projects. Further decrease in the water flow to the Indus Delta
and increased displacement of communities from it will aggravate the
already existing precarious situation.
CHASHMA RIGHT BANK CANAL: In the specific case of Chashma Right Bank
Canal, project proponents have completely ignored the communities.
Communities' traditional rights were trespassed and no compensation was paid
to them.
There are a range of communities' rights that come under the risk due
to indifferent attitude of project proponents. Rights of, not only the
present generation, but also of the future generations such as land,
water flow and fisheries are at risk due to the poorly designed and
inefficiently executed water projects. Further to that the compensation
process has been in total violation of national laws. In case of Chashma
Right Bank Canal, while land acquisition for construction of the project
began in 1995, the formal process of notification was initiated in
December 2001. Construction of the project resulted in various forms of
disruptions in the lives of the local communities, including disintegration
of existing community support networks, disabling of Rowedkohi (the
traditional irrigation) system.
Hence in Pakistani context, experience of large reservoirs and dams has
been largely against the guidelines and proposed values by WCD. Public
sector projects in the water sector have been designed and executed in
complete isolation even without ceremonial participation of
stakeholders. Empty of consultation with potential affectees, these projects have
benefited the privileged corridors at the cost of marginalized and
voiceless communities by putting their historical and constitutional rights
at risk.
Women; The Worst Affected:
Though imprudent development has resulted in affecting almost all
segments of all communities, yet the worst hit are women. Women, as the
world's most important food producers are directly dependent on a healthy
environment, which is often lost in the non-consultative development
projects. Women play a very significant role in managing natural
resources. Being food providers, they daily interact with the natural resources,
therefore any negative impact on the environment directly affects
women. In the Pakistani context, women are actively involved in water sector
related activities such as agriculture, fishing and livestock that
includes, agriculture harvesting, net making, shrimps peeling, nets
cleaning, cattle grazing etc. which was the major contribution towards their
house incomes.
However, women have never been part of any pre-project consultation and
decision making in this regard. Although women are paying the equal
cost economically, socially and environmentally due to large reservoirs
and dams, they are the least heard segment among affectees. Women have
the right to fully participate in the entire process as defined in
policies and laws (according to National Resettlement Policy, affected women
should be ensured equal access to all income restoration programmes by
maximum involvement of women). In the typical Pakistani society, where
women are often socially secluded, social assets and relations take
decades to frame. With displacement, women lose their social relations and
cannot regain them in their lifetime.
Though the list of rights of communities' at risk could be unending;
yet the most important of them are given below, considering the Pakistani
experience.
RIGHTS:
a.. Downstream people have historically recognized rights on natural
flows such as the Indus and Rowedkohi, which become increasingly at
risk with every new reservoir constructed at upstream.
b.. People have constitutional right of consultation with them before
starting any water project on Indus River. This has also been
recognized in National Resettlement Policy.
c.. Fisherfolk have historical fishing rights which is directly
dependent on the flow of the Indus.
d.. People possess property rights such as no one can forcibly
deprive them from their land against their will. However, in large reservoir
projects this right is often risked and violated.
e.. People have historical rights on natural endowment in their areas
such as lakes, ponds and pastures. These natural resources are often
inundated or left dry due to new reservoirs. Resettlement and money
cannot compensate this loss.
f.. People have legislative right to participate in decisionmaking.
But there is no provision to include potential affectees in decision
making process.
g.. Women have the right to fully participant in the entire process.
For example, according to the National Resettlement Policy, affected
women should be ensured equal access to all income restoration programmes
by maximum involvement of women.
RISK:
The following risks are most frequently observed in large reservoir
projects:
a.. Water projects are designed and executed without proper
consultation and thus become non-participatory.
b.. New reservoirs further decrease fresh water flow to downstream
areas such as the delta.
c.. More increased displacement from project sites and downstream
areas.
d.. Additional communities lose their natural means of livelihood.
e.. New developments unfold new conflicts among communities due to
dwindling resources.
f.. Indigenous communities face specific cultural and social risk
(inflow of new cultural groups from affectees or beneficiaries) due to
large sale development projects.
g.. Fragile ecosystems are exposed to a variety of risks such as
inundation and desertification.
h.. Beneficiaries' lobbies tamper laws and rules in their favour to
execute large projects, thus leaving communities politically deprived
from the right of participation in decision making. In broader context it
pushes society to political chaos and creates longterm risks for
sociopolitical integrity of the society.
WHAT TO DO?
a.. All viable options should be properly explored before opting for
large reservoirs and dams. Energy and irrigation development should not
be carried out at the cost of livelihood and natural endowment of
communities.
b.. Lower riparian, particularly women should be considered as major
affectees of the large reservoirs and dams.
c.. WCD guidelines should be adopted as a framework for working out
feasibility of any water sector development project, particularly large
reservoirs and dams.
d.. A comprehensive study should be initiated to assess socioeconomic
and environmental impacts of large reservoirs and dams already
implemented in the country.
e.. A comprehensive baseline of natural resources should be conducted
in downstream areas (eg. Indus Delta) before initiating any new water
development project.
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(Ms. Zubaida Birwani is Senior Program Officer for Shirkatgah, an
advocacy organization for women, people who fish and rural people of the
Indus River valley. Shirkatgah is based in Karachi, Pakistan where Ms.
Birwani resides. She holds an M.A. in Literature and a B.A. in Sociology
from Karachi University. Ms. Birwani has graciously allowed Friends of
the Kennebec Salmon to reprint her recent essay regarding the impacts of
dam building on the people of the Indus River. Because the impacts of
dams and legal asymmetry she describes in Pakistan today are much like
what we face in Maine today and at Messalonskee Stream today, Ms.
Birwani's observations merit our close attention.)
References
1.. Pakistan: IRIN Special Report on the Water Crisis, Environment &
Development Challenges (EDC)
2.. http://www.chashma-struggles.net
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