On August 20, 2024, the world witnessed another major landslide that badly damaged a hydropower project in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem along the river Teesta. This latest landslide caused major destruction of the 510 MW NHPC Teesta-V hydropower power station in Sikkim, India. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported but the region is still reeling…
Read MorePlacing the Interests of the Public and Planet at the Center of Thailand’s Power Development Plan 2024
By Rin Sohsai and Tanya Lee Roberts-Davis. Originally published in the Bangkok Tribune. Opinion piece highlights are below. In the coming months, Thailand’s updated draft Power Development Plan (PDP 2024-2037) is due to be submitted to the Cabinet for approval. This master plan underwent limited online public hearings in mid-June. Yet to date, the text…
Read MoreCommunities Left in Dire Straits After the Construction of the Souapiti Dam in Guinea
By Genny Ngende, Senior Campaign Coordinator, Africa Program Introduction The Africa Program works in partnership with a local organization in Guinea, Centre du Commerce International pour le Développement (CECIDE). Individually and collectively, we conduct research, engage with government and economic actors, publish reports and organize workshops for communities adversely impacted by hydropower projects. It is…
Read MoreSites of Struggle and Sacrifice: Mapping Destructive Dam Projects along the Mekong River
by Pai Deetes, Phairin Sohsai and Tanya L. Roberts Davis Today, International Rivers is releasing a map illustrating sites of struggle along the Mekong River where communities and allied civil society groups have been able to hold their ground —significantly delaying the planned development of destructive hydropower dams — and sacrifice zones where the build…
Read MoreCampaigners call on development banks to reject controversial Rogun mega dam in Tajikistan
Co-published with Rivers without Boundaries, Coalition for Human Rights in Development and other partners Today on the 27th International Day of Action for Rivers, international and local civil society organizations (CSOs) share the appeal they sent to the World Bank and 15 other financiers – members of the “Rogun Coordination Group”. In Tajikistan, the government is…
Read MoreNew Resource: Community Guide to Independent Accountability Mechanisms for Communities in Africa
Français below English, French and Portuguese versions of the guide can be found in the Safeguards and Standards section of the Capacity Building Tool Resources page. Development projects such as dams, roads, power plants, and mines can displace communities and damage the land and rivers that they need for their livelihoods. Over the past decades,…
Read MoreMAP: Hydropower Dams in Sub-Saharan Africa
French below/ Version Française plus bas Only one-third of rivers remain free-flowing, largely due to dams. Globally, large hydropower dams have displaced up to 80 million people and compromised the livelihoods of 472 million more downstream. Although dams are on the decline in most parts of the world, in Africa, there is an incline in planned…
Read MoreDeveloping news: Controversial Pak Beng Dam on the Mekong hits major milestone, despite warnings of widespread damage to environment and people
On September 13, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, or EGAT, signed a Power Purchase Agreement for the controversial Pak Beng Dam on the main stem of the Mekong River. Located in northern Lao PDR, Pak Beng would be built on the Lower Mekong mainstream and is expected to displace people in over 25 villages….
Read MoreFinance in Common Summit shows reality is not meeting rhetoric when it comes to support for human rights and civic space
By: Josh Klemm, Co-Executive Director of International Rivers Earlier this month, I had the chance to attend the fourth annual Finance in Common (FIC) Summit in Cartagena, Colombia. A relatively new phenomenon, the Summit brought together over 500 public development banks from all over the world who together represent tens of billions of dollars in…
Read MoreIs the Disaster in Libya Coming Soon to an Aging Dam Near You?
In response to the tragic dam collapse, Josh Klemm and Isabella Winkler, co-directors of International Rivers published an opinion piece in the The New York Times. Below are highlights The collapse of two dams in Libya, unleashing torrential floodwaters that left at least 3,000 people dead and over 4,200 still missing, was both predicted and preventable. And they won’t…
Read MoreThe Kakhovka dam disaster — what next?
By Josh Klemm, International Rivers Co-Director and Oleksii Vasyliuk, co-founder Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group (UNCG). Originally published in the EU Observer. The destruction of the Kakhovka hydropower dam has precipitated the manmade disaster unfolding in Ukraine, the impacts of which will be experienced by the environment and people for generations to come. Dams must not be…
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