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World dams report 'can't force action' by NANTIYA TANGWISUTIJIT , The Nation, Thailand - 25 November 2000 World dams report 'can't force action'THE World Commission on Dams (WCD) launched its final report in Bangkok yesterday, saying it had finished its mission. However, the global dam group's work was criticised as being half-done - because it failed to press governments to comply with its recommendations. The report concluded that large dams typically fell short of their economic targets. Most had overrun on costs by about 50 per cent and had been less profitable than expected. Moreover, many of the projects created irreversible social and ecological destruction. The two major dam-building agencies in Thailand - the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) and the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) - rejected results of the report outright yesterday. "We can't accept the report because the findings are not accurate," said Pichet Chaowiang, a senior officer from Egat. "WCD took only two years to study the dams worldwide. For the Pak Mool dam, it spent only a week conducting field research, while it took us 30 years to plan and build." Pak Mool is one of WCD's seven detailed case studies. The dam was completed by Egat in 1992, but protests of villagers whose livelihoods have suffered continue. Pichet alleged that the only section that was accurate concerned the failure of the fish ladder. But he argued that this was due to the protest and occupation of the dam site. The commission, with a US$9.7 million (Bt423 million) budget from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and a score of major dam-building corporations, reviewed 1,000 dams in 79 countries around the globe. The process began in 1998 and was completed this month. The final report was launched in London, New York, Bangkok and Tokyo yesterday. WCD claimed the report was the, "most comprehensive global and independent review of dams", from which it would develop recommendations for future decision-making. WCD Commissioner Judy Henderson admitted yesterday the group had no authority to pressure individual authorities to comply with its guidelines. "Of course, we don't want our two year's work to be wasted," she said, adding that this was why they were travelling the world encouraging the public to discuss the report. According to the commission, the world has 45,000 large dams (more than 15 metres high), with nearly half located in China. They are estimated to have displaced 40 to 80 million people. In Thailand, about 128 large dams have been built across the country's 25 major rivers since the 1960s and some 600,000 people have been resettled. A network of NGOs calling themselves Rivers Watch East and Southeast Asia (RWESA), held a press conference yesterday welcoming the WCD resolution. Chainarong Sretthachua, director of Chiang Mai's Southeast Asia Rivers Network, said he was 75 per cent satisfied with the report. However, he noted the commission had failed to gain recognition from governments and dam-funders. "The World Bank president did not say anything more than that he had to consult with the bank's shareholders before making any commitment to the report guidelines," he said. BY NANTIYA TANGWISUTIJIT and PENNAPA HONGTHONG
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