TEN YEARS AFTER THE WORLD COMMISSION ON DAMS’ REPORT: WHERE ARE WE?

摘要

Ten years after the publication of the World Commission on Dams’ (WCD) reportentitled Dams and Development: Report of the World Commission on Dams, significantprogress has been made to incorporate the WCD’s core values of equity, efficiency,sustainability, participatory decision-making, and accountability in the development ofdams and water resource projects to address the world’s current and future water needs.Many entities have incorporated these core values to address a variety of challengesincluding sustainability and climate change, and a widely recognized obstruction toprogress – corruption. However, there is still significant progress to be made tosuccessfully develop sustainable dam and water resource projects in a socioeconomically,geo-politically, and environmentally responsible manner.The International Hydropower Association published the final version of theirHydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol in late 2010. The U.S. Bureau ofReclamation issued its strategy to address water resource needs for the region whileaccounting for the effects of climate change. Along these lines, during the Institution ofCivil Engineers’ (ICE) 2010 convention, the Protocol for Engineering a SustainableFuture for the Planet originally signed in 2006 by ICE, the Canadian Society of CivilEngineering, and the American Society of Civil Engineers was updated. Although manychallenges face the dams and water resources community, it is evident that significantprogress has been made towards responsible and sustainable projects around the world.Projects in the U.S., Africa, Nepal, and Canada, among other countries, have beensuccessfully planned, designed, constructed, and maintained while exemplifying theWCD guidelines. These examples should provide inspiration to continue thedevelopment of innovative solutions to the challenges facing the dams and watercommunity. This paper reviews some achievements by the global dam and waterresource community to advance responsible projects which embody the core valuesestablished by the WCD ten years ago and provides suggestions to address thecontinually evolving world water needs in a sustainable, yet responsible manner.