Rivers without Boundaries

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) intends to co-finance the Rogun Hydro in Tajikistan?

The AIIB announced that it is joining the ADB and EBRD in an effort to build a 76 kilometer road and a bridge in Tajikistan. One would wonder why three multilateral banks are needed for such a small ordinary task? The answer is simple – they are helping the Central …

Construction of the Rogun Dam, the tallest and the most controversial, started in Tajikistan

Tajikistan on October 29th started construction of the controversial $3.9 billion USD Rogun hydropower dam on the Vakhsh River. The dam – designed with a height of 335m – is part of the 3600MW Rogun hydroelectric project (started in 1976), which may become the largest hydroelectric project in the region …

Mapping of the freshwater biodiversity of Central Asia will help to preserve it from destruction

Central Asian rivers are home to dozens of endemic and threatened fish species, most of which are not well studied. According to the International Union for Conservation for Nature (IUCN) Red List, 21 fish species in the region are critically endangered (CR), endangered (EN), or vulnerable (VU).  Several vertebrate species …

World Bank makes a deadly mistake funding “The Pyramid of Rahmon” without consideration of alternatives

On December 17, the World Bank Board of Directors approved USD 350 million grant to Tajikistan to complete the tallest dam in the world – Rogun HPP on the Vakhsh River. This decision was taken despite the project being non-compliant with the World Bank’s Environmental and Social Standards. Kuwait Fund …

Asian Development Bank exempts free flowing rivers from dam construction

Large rivers without dams and other water infrastructure will receive additional protection from hydropower development: thanks to the efforts of the international non-governmental organizations including our Coalition, Rivers without Boundaries, the Asian Development Bank has just included in its new Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) the “free-flowing rivers” as a …