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

By John Vidal

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, Guyana and India 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. Kayapó 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 Asháninka, 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.

India Large dams are planned in Northeast India including Tipaimukh dam to meet the growing energy needs of developing India.

Via The Guardian UK