Dateline Dispatches: Around the World in Ten Days
DAY SEVEN Thursday, 23 November 2000

Moscow - Buenos Aires - Pretoria

MOSCOW, RUSSIA: Glasnost on Dams?

In Red Square the temperature hovered at minus 15 degrees Celsius. Across the street, in the Hotel "National" at the WCD's Russian launch, the air was considerably hotter.

Elena Kolpakova presents at the Moscow briefing

There, 60 diverse development interests - Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Agriculture, Hydroproject Institute, Russian Duma, ICOLD chapter, IUCN, World Bank, SocEco Union, Sibico Corp, Greenpeace, ISAR, Ecoforum - were taking the WCD Report quite seriously, as both a challenge and an opportunity.

In that order.

Government and industry representatives reacted immediately and vigorously after the WCD's initial presentation. They were critical of the Report's a) tone, b) scientific basis of findings, c) ignorance of current trends in favour of "unrealistic" options and d) perceived Western effort (having completed its dam building programme) against water and energy resource development in other countries to secure competitive advantage itself.

In contrast, non-governmental organisations suggested that the report, because of the comparatively high level attention it had attracted and clarity it brought to some issues, opened a space for dialogue in the Russian context.

Yet after initial responses, the mood of all transformed.

Government and NGO speakers suggested that the way forward proposed in the report could indeed be helpful in the Russian context. Director of the IUCN Moscow office, Vladimir Moshkalo, and World Bank representative, Vassili Rodionov, expressed support for such an initiative in Russia.

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA: Closing the Gap

The timing proved difficult - a 36 hour general strike began at noon, but even burning buses and stoned taxis could not keep a hardy crowd from attending the WCD's launch in the capital of Argentina.

Attendees included a number of representatives from local utilities, ministries, NGO's and industry.

Yacyreta Dam interests were well represented, led by their executive director and the World Bank task manager.

The President of the Argentine Institute for Hydraulic Resources invited the WCD to come and present the report at a meeting planned for next March to help plan for future developments in the Rio Plata river basin.

Certainly there remains a large gap between stakeholders. The first question and one which recurred was simply that of alternatives to hydropower, and the importance of looking at the social and environmental impacts of other technologies.

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA: WCD Comes Home

Born and bred in Cape Town, the World Commission on Dams (WCD) returned home today, showing how Southern Africa can harvest a Report sown in its native soil.

The meeting was attended by 150 representatives of government agencies, NGOs, diplomatic corps, the private sector and affected communities in the Southern African region, beset both by floods and by drought, by booming thirsty cities and stressed rural rivers.

In Africa alone WCD has reviewed and completed a comprehensive Case Study of Kariba Dam in Zambia/Zimbabwe, as well as a Pilot Study of the Gariep and Van Der Kloof Dams on the Orange River in South Africa.

Now all parties began to discuss how they could reap the benefits that were incorporated so close to home.

"This is a global Commission Report,written of, by and for all nations" said WCD Chair and SA Education Minister Kader Asmal. "But from start to finish, the strong and distinct character of Southern Africa runs right through the heart of it. I hope our countries can now start to use it to improve both the lives of all people within our borders as well as the transboundary rivers we share."