Rivers without Boundaries
Central Asia, Paris worth a dam?, World Heritage Convention

World Bank’s Executive Directors block investigation of the Rogun HPP Project despite the advice of their own Inspection Panel

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has declined to open an investigation into potential environmental and social risks linked to the construction of the Rogun Hydropower Plant in Tajikistan. The decision was reported in a press release published by the environmental NGO Rivers Without Boundaries. As a result, the financial institution chose not to review a complaint filed by residents of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan …

Central Asia, Essential Publications

Converting Lives into Kilowatts: Resettlement Plans for Rogun HPP Project Threaten Tens of Thousands of People

“Rogun Alert”, a coalition of concerned CSOs, has analyzed the Resettlement Action Plan and Livelihood Restoration Plan (RAP-2 and LRP-2) for the Rogun HPP construction project. In their analytical report CSOs have identified serious shortcomings in the documentation that could negatively affect tens of thousands of people. The project to …

Central Asia, Paris worth a dam?

Tajikistan hit by an ice bomb: Melting glaciers threaten dams in Central Asia

Source: Rivers.Help! October 30, 2025 In the Tajikabad district of Tajikistan, a large mass of ice broke off from the glacier at the top of Ismoil Somoni peak. According to preliminary estimates, the size of the ice block is about two kilometers long, 25 meters high and up to 200 …

Central Asia, Featured, Paris worth a dam?

Pitfalls of the Rogun Hydro: What fate awaits the people resettled from the inundation zone?

The Rogun HPP construction project in Tajikistan, in its current form, involves the forced resettlement of up to 60,000 local residents from the inundation zone. These people must leave their homes and their land to start a new life from scratch. Proponents of the project insist that this is the …

Central Asia, Paris worth a dam?

Rogun Hydro construction costs for the optimists and pessimists

According to the press service of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, for construction of the Rogun Dam 4.3 billion somoni ($451 million) have been allocated from the state budget since the beginning of 2025. Based on newly available data, the RwB reevaluated the estimated construction costs and future …

Essential Publications, Featured, Paris worth a dam?

The Oxymoron of “Sustainable Hydropower”: An Insider’s Perspective

A Critical Commentary on the “Global Horizon Scan of Emerging Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Hydropower” A recently published preprint, “Global Horizon Scan of Emerging Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Hydropower,” authored by Irene Boavida and 36 coauthors, offers a compelling look into the industry’s view of its own future. …