By Matt McGrath  Environment correspondent

A new study says that many large-scale hydropower projects in Europe and the US have been disastrous for the environment.
Dozens of these dams are being removed every year, with many considered dangerous and uneconomic.
But the authors fear that the unsustainable nature of these projects has not been recognized in the developing world.
Thousands of new dams are now being planned for rivers in Africa and Asia.
Hydropower is the source of 71% of renewable energy throughout the world and has played a major role in the development …

There is a new evidence the IFC does not apply its own standards properly and this has implications for any hydropower projects they support. In a recent IFC CAO Ombudsman newsletter I have found investigation report on Lengarica Hydro in Albania that raises multiple concerns.
A small inherently inefficient 8 MW hydropower plant was built in Albanian  National park by Austrian firm ENSO and supported by USD 6 million by IFC. 
Organic Agriculture Association Executive director Lavdosh Ferruni  in 2015 filed a compliant insisting that IFC financial support is in violation …

Sindi Dam on Parnu River blocked fish migration
Source https://www.ccb.se/documents/2-Estonia.pdf
In October long-awaited dam removal  started on Pärnu River in  Estonia. After almost 150 years in existence the Sindi Dam near mouth of the river is being demolished now. This is the largest national project of its kind. After demolition of  Pärnu River  dams scientists expect restoration of spawning habitat of migratory fish in the area equal to such habitat in all other salmon rivers of the country. Rivers without Boundaries Coalition congratulates Estonian colleagues on passing  this important milestone in …

Dam collapse Did NOT stop dams  in Laos
The July collapse of the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy saddle dam in southern Laos and the widespread disaster that followed made international headlines.
Shortly after the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy collapse displaced thousands and claimed at least 40 lives, the Mekong River Commission called the dam break a national tragedy, but also an opportunity. It’s one that “ushers in new hope for a more optimal, sustainable, and less contentious path for development of one of the greatest rivers in the world,” MRC CEO Pham Tuan Phan …

At the Eighth session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention on 12 of October 2018 in Astana, Kazakhstan,  the RwB International Coordinator Eugene Simonov delivered a presentation on freshwater ecosystem preservation in the era of “Belt and Road “.(See presentation  here)

Simonov and Mazmanyanz at the side event © Oxana Nikitina/ WWF
This side event was dedicated to a joint program of the Kazakhstan and WWF on restoration of the Ili River Delta and reintroduction of tigers. However the success of the reintroduction program is dependent on …

A Glimpse of China’s “People to People” cooperation along the Belt and Road
Among the five pillars of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), “promoting people to people connection” is probably the least well understood, not just because of the intangible nature of such cooperation in general (compared with huge “connectivity” projects such as railroads and ports that are concrete in its literal sense), but also because traditionally China is often seen as lacking the kind of soft power needed to genuinely engage with the “hearts and minds” of the …