Hydroelectric dams pose threat to tribal peoples, report warns
Dams in Brazil, Ethiopia and Malaysia will force people off land and
destroy hunting grounds, says Survival International
* John Vidal, environment editor
* The Guardian, Monday 9 August 2010
Hydro dam site at Omo river, Ethiopia Construction begins on the Gibe
III hydroelectric dam in southern Ethiopia. Photograph: Xan Rice for
the Guardian
Giant hydroelectric dams being built or planned in remote areas of
Brazil, Ethiopia, Malaysia, Peru and Guyana will devastate tribal
communities by forcing people off their land or destroying hunting and
fishing grounds, according to a report by Survival International today.
The first global assessment of the impact of the dams on tribes
suggests more than 300,000 indigenous people could be pushed towards
economic ruin and, in the case of some isolated Brazilian groups, to
extinction.
The dams are intended to provide much-needed,low-carbon electricity
for burgeoning cities, but the report says tribal people living in
their vicinity will gain little or nothing. Most of the power
generated will be taken by large industries, it concludes.
At least 200,000 people from eight tribes are threatened and a further
200,000 people will be adversely affected by the Gibe III dam on the
Omo river in Ethiopia. Ten thousand people in Sarawak, Malaysia, have
been displaced by the Bakun dam,which is expected to open next year,
and a series of Latin American dams could force many thousands of
people off their land.
The authors say enthusiasm for large dams is resurfacing, driven by a
powerful international lobby presenting them as a significant solution
to climate change. Lyndsay Duffield, said: "The lessons learned [about
the human impact of large dams]last century are being ignored, and
tribal peoples worldwide are again being sidelined, their rights
violated and their lands destroyed."
The report says the World Bank is one of the biggest funders of
destructive dams, despite worldwide criticism in the 1990s for
supporting such projects. Its portfolio now stands at $11bn, with
funding up more than 50% on 1997.
The UN now subsidises dam building via the clean development mechanism
(CDM), which allows rich countries to offset their greenhouse gas
emissions by investing in clean energy in poor countries. The watchdog
group CDM Watch says more than a third of all CDM-registered projects
in 2008 were for hydropower, making them the most common type of
project vying for carbon credits.
Concern is growing over the role of China, now the world's largest
builder and funder of big dams. The Three Gorges Corporation, firm
behind the controversial Three Gorges dam, which has displaced more
than a million people from around the Yangtze river in the last 20
years, has been contracted to build a dam on the land of the Penan
tribe in Sarawak. China's biggest state bank, the Industrial and
Commercial Bank of China, may fund Gibe III in Ethiopia, to be
Africa's tallest. The Chinese government has financed the majority of
dams built in China, which account for about half the global total of
large dams.
The report says tribes have borne the brunt of the development over
the last 30 years. In India, at least 40% of people displaced by dams
and other developmentprojects are tribal, though they make up just 8%
of the country's population. Almost all of the large dams built or
proposed in the Philippines have been on the land of the country's
indigenous people.
The report accuses banks and dam builders of consistently
underestimating the number of tribal people affected. "There is an
endemic tendency within the dam industry to significantly
underestimate the number of people to be affected by their projects,"
it says.
"The World Bank's review of big dam projects over 10 years found that
the number of people actually evicted was nearly 50% higher than the
planning estimates."
Survival International called for all hydroelectric dams on tribal
peoples' land to be halted unless the tribes have given full consent.
"In the case of isolated or uncontacted tribes, where consultation is
not possible, there should be no development of hydroelectric dams on
their territories," it said.
Danger dams
Ethiopia The Gibe III dam on the Omo river in Ethiopia threatens about
200,000 people from eight tribes in the Lower Omo valley. The dam will
disrupt the annual flood the tribes rely on, destroying their
livelihoods and leaving them vulnerable to famine. On the other side
of the border in Kenya, 300,000 people who live on the banks of Lake
Turkana will also be affected.
Brazil A series of dams is planned for the river Madeira. The Jirau
and Santo Antonio dams will affect many tribes, including uncontacted
groups known to live a few miles from one site. The Belo Monte mega-
dam on the Xingu river would be the third largest in the world, and
would devastate a huge area. Kayap� Indians and other tribes of the
area have been protesting against the dam since it was proposed in the
1980s.
Malaysia The Bakun dam in Sarawak, due to be completed this year, has
displaced 10,000 tribal people, including many semi-nomadic Penan
tribespeople. The relocated Penan now cannot hunt, and struggle to
support themselves on tiny plots of land. Sarawak plans 12 more
hydroelectric dams, which will force thousands more people to move.
Peru Six dams have been proposed which would flood land along the
river Ene, home of the Ash�ninka, the largest indigenous group in Peru.
Guyana More large dams are planned for the north of Brazil and
southern Guyana, including the controversial Upper Mazaruni dam which
was stopped after protests but is likely to be revived.
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