Rivers without Boundaries

STATUS OF THE DAM DAMAGE : The IHA reports how dwindling hydropower sector destroys biodiversity riches and social stability…and calls for its recovery.

The International Hydropower Association (IHA) published its 7th “Hydropower Status Report”. Report illustrates further decline of annually installed hydropower capacity, with “optimistic” estimate of only 15 GW added worldwide in 2019. We still tend to believe that the 12.5 GW figure from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is more …

Sardoba Dam Failure: Unexpected Tragedy or Consequence of Poor Planning and Corruption?

A dam that burst in the Uzbeksitan’s Sirdaryo region late last week has flooded thousands of homes and sent water rushing into villages in neighboring Kazakhstan. The newly built Sardoba Reservoir bursted short after construction of a hydropower plant started at its outlet. By the end of May 2, at …

Green Cure for BRI after COVID-19

Global Civil Society Call on Chinese Authorities to Ensure that COVID-19 Financial Relief is Not Targeted to Harmful Projects along the Belt and Road. On April 29, 2020, the Rivers without Boundaries along with other 260 civil society groups across the world called on the Chinese government to ensure that …

India’s Coronavirus Vigil Revealed the Real Purpose of Modern Hydropower

On April 3, PM Modi appealed to Indians to turn out their lights for nine minutes at 9 p.m. on Sunday. April 5th, to show solidarity amid the coronavirus lockdown with a show of lamps, candles and flashlights. Critics say it was done to distract attention from humanitarian problems caused …

Spilled Molybdenum Tailings Are Spreading Pollution in the Amur River Basin

The Amur-Heilong River has a long history of environmental pollution, with the worst cases resulting from industrial accidents. People of China and Russia still vividly remember the great panic of 2005 when a chemical plant blasted in Jilin Province threatening by toxic spill Harbin and Habarovsk cities and dozens of …