Mountains of Concrete - International Rivers

ContentsIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Regional Paradox .......................................................................5Dam Building in the Himalayas: Potential and Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Table 1: Total Installed Capacity and Share of Hydropower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Table 2: Ultimate Hydropower Potential and Exploited Potential ........................................7Table 3: Existing, Under Construction, and Planned Hydropower Projects ...............................7Drivers of the Hydropower Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Funding Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Table 4: Funds Required For Himalayan Dams in the Next 10 Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Sources of Financing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Box 1: 750 MW West Seti Project, Nepal: Funding Sources .........................................14Table 5: Percentage of Contributions from Various Sources of Funds for the 11th Five Year Planfor the Indian Power Sector, 2007-12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Key Players ...........................................................................17Box 2: Some Public and Private Corporations in India and the Projects They Are Developing ..............18Box 3: Merchant Sale of Power and Windfall Profits for Private Companies .............................19Box 4: China “Goes Out” to Build Himalayan Dams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20Social and Environmental Impacts ........................................................21Box 5: Diamer-Bhasha Project, Pakistan ..........................................................25Box 6: “Chicken’s neck” area of India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29Dams in the Himalayas map .............................................................22Developmental Impacts .................................................................30Climate Change .......................................................................32Box 7: Dig Tsho Glacial Lake Outburst Flood, Nepal ................................................34Box 8: Some Likely Impacts of Climate Change and Glacial Lake Outburst Flood Risksin Specific River Basins ........................................................................35Responses of Civil Society and Affected People’s Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Alternative Approaches .................................................................39Conclusions ..........................................................................40References ...........................................................................41Mountains of Concrete: Dam Building in the Himalayas | 1