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Sectors and Themes Water Dams and Development E-paper
Examples of reparation programsReparation programs can also meet with mixed success due to their design and funding arrangements, complexities introduced due to the time since the original intervention, lack of baseline data and changing context within which the program is delivered. A sample of cases are referenced here - some dealing with resettlement issues and others related to the consequences of changes in the ecosystem. Reparations related to resettlement issues
Theun Hinboun Hydropower Project in Lao PDRThe Theun Hinboun Hydropower Project in Lao PDR was opened in 1998 following which a number of brought to the attention of the public-private grouping financing the dam. Impacts included declines in fish catches in the rivers upon which villages livelihoods depended, loss of riverbank gardens, loss of dry season drinking water sources, transportation difficulties and inadequate compensation. An environmental and social impacts and mitigation program was implemented by the developer to address the concerns raised. Tarbela Dam, PakistanA process to address outstanding compensation for resettlement resulting from the Tarbela Dam, Pakistan commissioned in 1977, was required in the loan covenants of the downstream Ghazi Barotha project some 20 years later. The World Bank's implementation completion report notes: Under GBHP, the Government agreed to implement a program to address the outstanding compensation issues related to the Tarbela Dam Project-which was constructed in the 1960s and 1970s. While such retrofit of "past legacy" issues is highly recommended by the World Commission on Dams … it was an innovative feature of GBHP for which there was little or no prior experience or precedent'. (p.4) After several years of delay: 'Finally, the Government decided to compensate these affectees in cash, and announced the amounts which the Federal/Provincial Governments and WAPDA had to provide for this purpose. All parties deposited their shares in mid-2003, and the compensation payments were largely completed by end-2003. For the second group of 225 affectees (who were to receive residential plots) the compensation has still not been provided. While the land has been acquired, a dispute has arisen recently over the number of persons who are entitled to receive such plots, and over the status of the acquired land. This group of affectees had therefore not received their full compensation by the time the Project was completed' (p.11) Gwembe-Tonga Rehabilitation and Development Programme, ZambiaSimilarly, the Gwembe-Tonga Rehabilitation and Development Programme in Zambia was initiated to raise the living standards of communities resettled from the Kariba Dam more than 40 years ago. Reports indicate problems with implementation of the program due to delays, the appropriateness of using a commercial loan for social rehabilitation works and long term financial sustainability - see Sourcebook on Stakeholder Participation in Options Assessment (page 186-7). A description of the resettlement program and mitigation measures is available in the case study on the Kariba dam (p 30-63) prepared as an input to the WCD. Gariep and Vanderkloof dams, South AfricaGariep and Vanderkloof dams, South Africa - A case study prepared for WCD highlighted the lack of compensation to black and colored farm workers (p55) 'In stark contrast to the white farmers and families stood the black and coloured farmworker families who were also forced to relocate because of the construction of the two dams on the Orange River. They did so without any compensation and were left with the choice of moving to wherever it was that their employer had purchased another farm, or to remain in the area (although not on the expropriated farms) and attempt to find employment in an area and sector that was shedding jobs'. Recognizing the injustice of their case, but also that it was carried out more than twenty years before during the apartheid era, the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry announced the present Government's sympathy with the case of the farm workers and their families, agreed to erect a memorial to them at the dam sites and to consider claims for monetary compensation. The Waimiri Atroari Programme, BrazilThe Waimiri Atroari Programme -resolving problems related to the Balbina Dam In 1987 it was ascertained that the population of the Waimiri Atroari, a group of Amazonian Indians, had dwindled from approximately 1,500 individuals in 1974 to 374 individuals. Contact with Brazilian society had introduced diseases to the population, mining operations were encroaching on their territory, and flooding by Balbina Dam would impact villages and agricultural activities. The Waimiri Atroari were becoming dependent on the mining activities, resulting in the breakdown of their traditional productive and economic systems. As a result of these findings and at the instigation of Eletronorte, The Waimiri Atroari Programme was established, based on the recommendations of a multi-disciplinary, inter-institutional team. Eletronorte finances all studies and activities of the Programme, and has signed a pledge guaranteeing funds to cover the costs of the programme during 25 years, until 2013. The Programme has the following objectives: Restoration of ecosystemsFor a more detailed description of environmental flows, see Section 5.3. For examples of reparations, see:
Restoration of Rivers in East AsiaThe following extract outlines the issues discussed at an East Asia Regional Seminar on River Restoration organized by the Malaysian Government in January 2003. 'River restoration can be defined as the return of an ecosystem to a close approximation of its condition prior to disturbance. In restoration, ecological damage to the resource is repaired with both the structure and the functions of the ecosystem recreated. The goal is to emulate a natural, functioning, self-regulating system that integrates with the landscape in which it occurs'. Forty technical presentations covered four main topics: Planning and Management, Restoration Techniques and Experiences, Community Participation and Research and Development. Proceeding of the seminar can be downloaded from the weblink. Lesotho Highlands Water ProjectInitiatives to retroactively determine environmental flow requirements for the Lesotho Highlands Water Project resulted in measures to compensate communities. The objectives of the Instream Flow Policy are to:
Constraints with the size of dam outlet at Katse Dam meant that the required environmental flows could not be achieved and a process of compensation was agreed. 'The approach to downstream compensation is based on using the best available estimates for communities rather than specific measurements for individuals. Affected communities will receive compensation for losses of the following riverine resources, including:
For Phase 1B, Mohale dam has a multiple level outlet structure enabling more flexibility in flow routing. Waza Logone Floodplain Restoration, CameroonWaza Logone Floodplain Restoration, Cameroon Associated with poor rainfall, the construction of Maga dam in 1979 resulted in: " Reduced flooding over a large part of the floodplain " A decline in biodiversity, especially in Waza National Park and Biosphere Reserve " A drastic reduction in grass for herds and a collapse in fisheries " A shortage of surface water in the dry season " Mass emigration of resident farmers, herders and fishermen The programme aims to restore the ecological and hydrological functions of the floodplain to improve the well-being of local communities. All stakeholders (including women and nomadic pastoralists) participate in the programme. The programme has four major components: Ecosystem evaluation and monitoring Social, economical, ecological and hydrological data are used to establish partnerships and to identify and evaluate alternative management scenarios. For example, a hydrodynamic model for the reinundation of 100,000 hectares was developed. Resource management The water management plan releases water from the Logone river to revive the floodplain. Twenty per cent (200 km2) has been restored in programme pilots. Community development is supported through programmes in for instance agriculture, forestry and fisheries. Conservation of Biological Diversity Protection of the Waza National Park is ensured by a management plan for the core area and the 'peripheral' zone. Local people have access to resources and are involved in eco-tourism activities at three locations. Capacity Building and Empowerment Project staff, government technical services, resource users and communities are trained in integrated management. Communities and women's groups co-manage activities within the programme. Clean water from 37 wells in 33 villages and training in health and sanitation resulted in a 70% decrease in diarrhoea. Interest groups contribute to programme decision making through a number of advisory and managing committees. Kafue Flats Integrated Water Resources Management Programme, ZambiaZambia Kafue Flats Integrated Water Resources Management Programme 'addresses the negative social and environmental impacts of two existing dams and aims to restore an important ecosystem and improve livelihoods'. WWF, Zambia's Ministry of Energy and Water Development (MEWD) and Zambia Electricity Supply Company Ltd (ZESCO) have signed an agreement worth €826,441 to jointly fund and implement the program for the Kafue Flats in 2003/04. The natural flooding regime of the Flats has been altered by the operation of the Itezhi- tezhi and Kafue Gorge dams built in the 1970s. The result has been the replacement of the natural flooding pattern by a regulated one which has drained previously wet areas and permanently flooded previously dry areas. This has affected the habits, reproductive cycles and the feeding of many species resulting in reduced water resource availability, less cattle grazing area, negative impacts on wildlife and fish, and reduced potential for tourism. 'Phase one of this project, which was completed in 2002, developed a management strategy and the KAFRIBA model, which models the operational rules of the dams. This phase also included meetings with local stakeholders (including farmers and fishermen in the Kafue Flats) to ascertain local problems and needs. Community resource management boards were set up to represent local stakeholders in the further development of the programme. The management strategy identified a variety ways to improve management of water resources in the Kafue Flats while the KAFRIBA model is able to portray various flooding regimes in the Flats. The project is now in its implementation phase, focussing on the development and implementation of the new operating rules and three sub-projects are being implemented: " The re-establishment of a hydro-meteorological network " The final design and implementation of computer models and operation rules " The setting up of a legal and institutional frameworkPhongolo River, South AfricaCommunity based management of water releases in the Phongolo River In the late 1960s the Pongolapoort dam was constructed on the Phongolo River in north-east South Africa near its borders with Swaziland and Mozambique. The reservoir was filled in 1970 with a view to irrigating 40,000 hectares of agricultural land for white settlers, with no provision for hydropower generation. No assessments were undertaken of impacts of the impoundment on the floodplain where 70,000 Tembe-Thonga people were dependent on recession agriculture, fishing and other wetland resources nor on the biodiversity of the Ndumu game reserve. In the event no settlers came to use the irrigation scheme. The dam changed the whole flooding regime of the river, which had significant negative impacts on agriculture and fisheries.In 1978 a workshop was held on the Phongolo floodplain to review the future of irrigation and how to minimise the negative impacts on floodplain. This led to a plan for controlled releases to rehabilitate the indigenous agricultural system and the wildlife. However, initial releases of water from the dam were made at the wrong time of the year and crops were either washed away or rotted. In 1987 the Department of Water Affairs and the tribal authorities agreed to experiment with community participation. As a result, water committees were established, representing five user groups: fishermen, livestock keepers, women and health workers (both new primary health care workers and traditional herbalists and diviners). They were given the mandate to decide when flood waters should be released. These committees were very successful at implementing people's views and led to management of the river basin to the benefit of the floodplain users. Over the past few years however, significant conflicts of interest have arisen between commercial cotton farmers and downstream users as well as encroachment on wetlands for farming. The participatory process for determining flood releases appears to have broken down. Despite early successes in addressing the downstream problems stretching back over 30 years, a broader more integrated approach is now urgently required.
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