Mitigation

Dam builders and operators have been forced over the years to take a number of steps to mitigate the impact of their projects. Some mitigation measures can reduce some of the harmful impacts of a dam, others may be worse than useless.

From World Rivers Review, October 2006

IRN comments on the long-overdue mitigation plan for Nam Song and Nam Leuk, to be funded by the Asian Development Bank, and the response from Electricite du Laos and the ADB. 

In March 2004, the Theun-Hinboun Power Company conducted a Third-Party Review of its Mitigation and Compensation Program. The review team spent a month visiting villages affected by the project and analyzing the attempts by the company to compensate for project impacts. The review team found that while the company had made "good progress", there were serious concerns over the effectiveness and long-term sustainability of its program to restore affected people's livelihoods.

David Blake, who was contracted by the Theun-Hinboun Power Company to review the company’s mitigation and compensation program, shares some of the review panel’s findings and his outlook on mitigating the impacts of Theun-Hinboun in World Rivers Review, February 2005.