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) report entitled Dams and Development: Report of the World Commission on Dams, significant progress has been made to incorporate the WCD’s core values of equity, efficiency, sustainability, participatory decision-making, and accountability in the development of dams 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 challenges including sustainability and climate change, and a widely recognized obstruction to progress – corruption. However, there is still significant progress to be made to successfully 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 their Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol in late 2010. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation issued its strategy to address water resource needs for the region while accounting for the effects of climate change. Along these lines, during the Institution of Civil Engineers’ (ICE) 2010 convention, the Protocol for Engineering a Sustainable Future for the Planet originally signed in 2006 by ICE, the Canadian Society of Civil Engineering, and the American Society of Civil Engineers was updated. Although many challenges face the dams and water resources community, it is evident that significant progress has been made towards responsible and sustainable projects around the world. Projects in the U.S., Africa, Nepal, and Canada, among other countries, have been successfully planned, designed, constructed, and maintained while exemplifying the WCD guidelines. These examples should provide inspiration to continue the development of innovative solutions to the challenges facing the dams and water community. This paper reviews some achievements by the global dam and water resource community to advance responsible projects which embody the core values established by the WCD ten years ago and provides suggestions to address the continually evolving world water needs in a sustainable, yet responsible manner.