Water

Dams and Development E-Paper Contents

p. -1 of 74 BACK | NEXT Home Page of Dams and Development Foreword I. Why an e-paper on dams and development? II. Assessing options III. Participatory processes IV. Social impacts V. Environmental impacts VI. Benefit distribution VII. Dam safety and sustainability VIII. Existing projects IX. Improving governance X. What other organizations say XI. ADB, Dams, and Development XII. References Contact Us

Downstream safety and livelihoods - impoundment and emergency drawdown

Recognizing that significant guidance on technical aspects of dam safety already exists, the World Commission on Dams drew particular attention to the stages of reservoir filling, test operation, initial operation and emergency releases.

'Arrangements for public safety must be in place in order to warn the downstream population that sudden releases of water may occur and may be dangerous'. (p272)

The focus was further broadened to promote reservoir operations that are consistent with downstream needs:

'Compensation should be paid for any loss of livelihood, such as the loss of fishing opportunities. If test operations cause downstream inconvenience, compensation should also be paid - for example, if a test takes place during the dry season and damages recession agriculture plots'.(p272)

'Adaptive management is needed to continuously assess and adjust operational decisions within the changing context of environmental, social, physical and market conditions. This requires a close relationship between the local community, other stakeholders and dam owners and operators in order to minimise problems and quickly resolve any that do arise'. (p274)

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