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dam-l ERN: Comments on WCD Hearing in Europe
from : Roberto Epple & ERN's News Service (Gaele Rousseau)
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EXTRACT ERNs rivernews_europe 26.01.00
Comments and Press release of the NGO meeting held in Bratislava on
WCD (World Commission on Dams) related issues (english / français)
join our listserv rivernews_europe: http://www.rivernet.org/istserv.htm
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ERN, Bratislava/Le Puy, 24.01.00
A European NGO-organised hearing on WCD (World Commission on Dams) related
issues has been held
in Bratislava on 17th and 18th January. Over 60 European NGOs, as well as
representatives from other
continents were present. The hearing has been hosted by Friends of the
Earth Slovakia.
WCD, founded by the World Bank and the IUCN, has to review the
effectiveness of large dams and
assess alternatives for water ressources and energy development and develop
standards and guidelines
for decision-making in the planning, construction, operation and
decommissioning of dams.
Hearings have been held all over the world but no European one was planned
in the WCD process
despite the importance of dam issues in Europe. NGOs thus decided to meet
to agree on what they think
should appear the in the final WCD report, which will be presented in
September 2000.
NGOs deeply regret that the WCD has not respected the human and financial
efforts to organise such an
important event which has been attended by only one of the Commissioners
and two members of the
staff, despite the fact that the meeting was convened on the date set by
the WCD.
One of the main goals of this meeting was to explode the myth that dams are
uncontroversial in Europe
and the presented cases indeed proved that dams have, even in Europe,
tremendous social and
environmental impacts.
Another main goal was to denounce the fact that European-based companies
are using different
Standards wether they operate in Europe or abroad. While social and
environmental guidelines start to
be used in their operation at home, they still export outdated and outmoded
technologies to the South .
The meeting documented how dams are not a benign source of energy and mainly:
- how gross violations of human rights are often accompanying dam building
- how dams are producing an important mass of green house gas
- how dams only benefited northern companies while they often failed
to bring the expected development
to southern communities
- how dams haved proved ineffective in flood prevention
The participants thus concluded that in the future, large dams must not
play a major role in energy and
water management policies.
- for the officiel press release
http://www.rivernet.org/prs00_01.htm (english / français)
- fore more information on the hearing http://www.rivernet.org/nconf99.htm
- for more informations on WCD http://www.dams.org
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End
Roberto A. Epple
Executive Director, ERN-European Rivers Network
e-mail : roberto.epple@ern.org or ern@rivernet.org
website: http://www.rivernet.org or http://ern.org
Main & Westeuropean Office:
8 Rue Crozatier, 43000 Le Puy, France
Voice +33 (0) 471 02 08 14 Fax +33 (0) 471 02 60 99
North european contact office (Germany)
Project Lebendige Elbe / Living Elbe
Voice +49 (0) 3496 21 00 09 Fax +33 (0) 3496 21 00 08