Nepal’s hydropower boom needs strategic assessment and public oversight Children crossing a bridge across Budhi Gandaki River in Arughat, Nepal (Photo by Eugene Sim0nov) Prologue: A tale of two dams In 2017, I visited 1,200 MW Budhi Gandaki hydropower project, 70 kilometers from Kathmandu, and found many similarities with the …
We are getting used to it: “No one was killed, we are happy” –became a standard reaction to “better” incidents at large-scale dams which are on the rise this year. So far in 2018 just on the RwB’s record large dam accidents happened in China, Colombia, Kenya, Laos, Myanmar, Russia. …
Greed, corruption and vanity – are main driving forces not letting large dams to sink despite the obvious fact they no longer make economic sense. New brilliant article in Yale 360 proves that. The rise of wind and solar power, coupled with the increasing social, environmental and financial costs of …
On 19 November 2018, the Council of Foreign Affairs of the European Union (EU) adopted conclusions on water diplomacy which promote accession and implementation of the Water Convention . The Council recalls that water is a prerequisite for human survival and dignity and a fundamental basis for the resilience of …
Since March 2018 all overseas investment projects “affecting transboundary water resources” are classified by China Government as “sensitive” and “restricted” and should be subjected to detailed assessment of their impacts on countries of investment and reputation of Chinese institutions and policies. Environmental and local livelihoods concerns are among key …
A magnificent show “Father of the Nation Turning on Lights to End Years of Darkness” was staged in Tajikistan on November 16 as President Emomali Rakhmon “launched” a model of the Rogun Hydropower Plant manufactured at 1/5 of its planned size. Esteemed guests from Afganistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan,Russia and other …
