ICOLD members - Netherlands

December 2000

Reading the summary report strengthened our opinion that the WCD did an outstanding job with a truly open mind (perhaps opened by the tireless effort of Jan Veltrop) and sentences like ”Presenting this analysis does not overlook the substantial benefits derived from dams but rather raises the question of why some dams achieve their goals while others fail” show the willingness of commissioners from different backgrounds to co-operate.

The basis of the WCD report was no different from the basis of the ICOLD Position Paper p7: “…followed in 1987 by immediate and world wide agreement on the convincing concept of ‘sustainable development’ as propagated in the Brundtland Report of the United Nations on ‘Our Common Future’. In 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) put the issue in a global perspective and drew up a comprehensive action program in Agenda 21”. It is therefore understandable that many points of attention seem cited from the Position Paper.

The excellence of the work springs from the apparently constructive co-operation between politicians and experts from all relevant disciplines. We know from experience that the effort of the Commission members must have been both emotionally and intellectually exhausting.

At what points can we, as professionals do more than our own Position Paper states?

Never before we have seen a better analysis of the process of gaining public acceptance. It will take us many years to make all parties aware of their role in such a process. It says:“Acceptance emerges from recognizing rights, addressing risks, and safeguarding the entitlements of all groups of affected people,….”

The report mainly talks about water(as human need) and energy and we miss safety as aim and water as an indispensable part of the ecosystems like river basins.

Another point that can be added to the aspects of environmental policy of ICOLD (see the Position Paper) is the accent on the comprehensive options assessment, before the choice of a dam is made.

Quotation ” The selection is based on a comprehensive and participatory assessment of the full range of policy, institutional and technical options. In the assessment process, social and environmental aspects have the same significance as economic and financial factors.”

In our ICOLD community these tasks can be promoted by the Committees on the Environment, Dam Safety and on The Role of Dams in de Development and Management of Riverbasins.

We join an adapted version of our earlier suggestion for a reaction. The reading of the summary and the received report has not changed our opinion:

The International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD), after listening in China to the speech of your member Mrs. Henderson and reading the thoughts expressed in your report, has come to the following conclusion.

The WCD has done an extremely energetic and well-balanced effort to bring the debate on the pros and cons of dams on a higher level. ICOLD is happy that its Position Paper on Dams and the Environment fits in so well with the expressed thoughts. It will increase its efforts to propagate these views and complement its expertise in the technical and security field with broad economic, environmental and social knowledge. ICOLD is willing to co-operate with other professional organizations concerned with the sustainable development of river basins. The recent catastrophic floods in many parts of the world strengthen our thoughts about the necessity of having a basin wide view and an organizational form that makes the management of the whole basin possible.

Finally, what do we do with the ideas, recommendations etc. in the report. The point is how do we implement these. Until now the position paper stands firm. But what did we ourselves do with the wisdom written in this position paper or how we will succeed to implement the WCD Report. In my country they say how do we get these ideas between the two ears

Isn’t it worthwhile to consider to establish a new strategic committee to answer the question how to implement the WCD Report and the position paper in our decision making, design, construction and after care. To make it clear to the outside world.