• Project induced displacement

Project induced displacement

Asian Development Bank's Dams and Development E-paper provides useful information and easy access to international policies, frameworks, principles, strategies, and case studies on dams. It seeks to generate discussion on the future of dam projects by making available to project planners and decision-makers materials on emerging issues and recent trends.

The debate over dams offers two opposing views, with a wide range of arguments in between:

• one side perceives dams as necessary for development in the way that dams provide water, electricity, irrigation, and flood protection to ever-increasing populations
• the other side sees dams as disrupting the natural environment and creating ecological imbalance - dams disturb a river's sediment flow, obstruct fish from migrating and spawning, and affect water quality. It also highlights the displacement and dispersal of people and communities - those living in areas where the dams will be built and those dependent on rivers - thereby altering lives and livelihoods. 

 Recognising the complex issues, opportunities, and risks surrounding dam projects, ADB offers the Dams and Development e-paper as a knowledge reservoir for use by governments, the private sector, civil society, and development agencies. ADB's Dams and Development e-paper demonstrates that there is a middle ground to the pro- and anti- positions of the dams debate. Solutions to meet development needs in a socially and environmentally acceptable way are always sought after. The e-paper promotes the following principles that ask the fundamental questions in planning and implementing dam projects:

• assessing options -is a dam the most viable development solution given all options?
• participatory processes -are all stakeholders being consulted about the dam project?
• social impacts -are the resettlement and livelihood needs of affected communities being addressed?
• environmental impacts- are there precautions and effective solutions that would help avoid, minimise, or mitigate environmental problems that may ensue?
• benefits distribution - are there mechanisms for equal sharing of the dam project's benefits?
• dam safety and sustainability - is the structure safe and will it last a long time?
• The e-paper calls for improving governance in the water sector through
• overall reforms that encourage greater cooperation among various sectors and the introduction of integrated water resources management
• It also recommends the establishment of compliance mechanisms related to project implementation and delivering on commitments.

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