New dams are threatening the world's largest rivers
22 Jun 2004
Gland, Switzerland - A new WWF report warns that indiscriminate dam-building is threatening the world's largest and most important rivers, with the Yangtze in China, the La Plata in South America, and the Tigris and Euphrates in the Middle East likely to suffer most from dams.
The WWF report, Rivers at Risk, identifies the top 21 rivers at risk from dams being planned or under construction. It shows that over 60 per cent of the world's 227 largest rivers have been fragmented by dams, which has led to the destruction of wetlands, a decline in freshwater species - including river dolphins, fish, and birds - and the forced displacement of tens of millions of people.
The report highlights the Yangtze as the river at most risk with 46 large dams planned or under construction. The Danube and Amazon rivers are also included in the list. The report concludes that governments are not applying the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams (WCD) to their dam projects. As a result, the benefits that dams provide - such as hydropower, irrigation, and flood control services - are often overtaken by negative environmental and social impacts. For example, much of the water provided by dams is lost, mainly due to inefficient agriculture irrigation systems - which globally waste up to 1,500 trillion litres of water annually. This is equivalent to 10 times the annual water consumption of the entire African continent.
"Dams are both a blessing and a curse - the benefits they provide often come at high environmental and social costs," said Dr. Ute Collier, head of WWF's Dams Initiative. "Those most affected by dams rarely benefit from them or gain access to power and clean water."
According to the report, downstream communities suffer most from dams, with rivers running dry and fish stocks decimated. Dams disrupt the ecological balance of rivers by depleting them of oxygen and nutrients, and affecting the migration and reproduction of fish and other freshwater species. For example, China - the country with the most number of dams planned or under construction in the world - may lose endangered species such as the Yangtze River Dolphin and many water birds if indiscriminate dam-building continues to destroy their habitats.
WWF urges decision-makers and dam developers to make efficient water use a priority by applying internationally accepted standards, such as those of the WCD, on dam projects to minimize the negative social, economic, and environmental impacts of dams. The EU Water Framework Directive, for instance, applies strict conditions for the development of dams in EU member states. New projects are allowed only if there are no better environmental options. Such progressive legislation, however, is rare.
"Dam construction projects often proceed with little attention to cumulative impacts and alternatives," said Ute Collier. "In meeting growing global water and energy needs, we must not destroy the ecosystems that provide clean and sustainable water supplies."
For further information
Jaime Pittock, Director, WWF Living Waters Programme 02 6574010, jpittock@wwf.org.au
Jacqueline McArthur, Communications Officer, WWF-Australia, Tel. +6 2 82021242, jmcarthur@wwf.org.au
Notes to editors
- The full report is available here, report summary can be downloaded here. It was produced in cooperation with the World Resources Institute.
- The World Commission on Dams was an independent, international, multi-stakeholder process which addressed the controversial issues associated with large dams. It was supported by 54 organisations, including the World Bank, the World Conservation Union and WWF. It published its recommendations in November 2000. (www.dams.org)
- The Rivers at Risk analysis examines threats to rivers on a basin scale from dams currently under construction that are over 60m high, as well as on data on planned dams that are either higher than 60m or will have an installed hydropower capacity of more than 100 MW as of 2003. The analysis includes dams of all types: hydropower, irrigation, water supply, flood prevention and multi-purpose dams.
- The WWF report's list of top 21 rivers at risk are
| River basin name | Basin size ('000 sq. km) | Countries within river basin | Number of large dams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yangtze | 1,722 | China | 46 |
| La Plata | 2,880 | Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay | 27 |
| Tigris & Euphrates | 766 | Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Jordan | 26 |
| Salween | 766 | China, Myanmar, Thailand | 16 |
| Kizilirmak | 82 | Turkey | 15 |
| Ganges | 1,016 | India, Nepal, China, Bangladesh | 14 |
| Tocantins | 764 | Brazil | 12 |
| Amazon | 6,145 | Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Paraguay and French Guyana | 11 |
| Mekong | 806 | Thailand, Laos, China, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar | 11 |
| Brahmaputra | 651 | China, India, Bhutan, Bangladesh | 11 |
| Xun Jiang (Pearl River) | 409 | China, Vietnam | 10 |
| Danube | 796 | Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia & Montenegro, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine | 8 |
| Huang He (Yellow River) | 945 | China | 8 |
| Kura-Araks | 205 | Azerbaijan, Iran, Georgia, Armenia, Turkey | 8 |
| Yesil-Kelkit | 41 | Turkey | 8 |
| B?y?k Menderes | 28 | Turkey | 7 |
| ?oruh | 22 | Turkey | 7 |
| Simav | 27 | Turkey | 7 |
| Ebro | 83 | Spain and Andorra | 6 |
| Indus | 1082 | Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and China | 6 |
| Qezel Owzan | 60 | Iran | 6 |
Related images are available upon request, contact Folke Wulf, email: fwulf@wwfint.org
