THE Philippine Task Force for Indigenous Peoples’ Rights (TFIP) has demanded an end to the construction of large dams and called for allowing rivers to flow free to nurture lives.
TFIP issued the demand as the world celebrated the International Day of Action against Dams, for Rivers, Water and Life recently.
“Rivers are an essential part of indigenous peoples’ lives and communities, and have been integral to their holistic development. Rivers form part of the territories of many indigenous peoples and serve as good sources of food and water for household and agricultural uses. Rivers also play a major role in the spirituality and belief systems of many indigenous groups,” TFIP said.
March 14 was declared as the International Day of Action against Dams, for Rivers, Water and Life during an international gathering of peoples affected by dams in Curitiba, Brazil, in 1997.
“Large dams built all over the world have become monuments to the misdevelopment of human societies. Experiences of dam-affected peoples show that large dams have only benefited a few and have had more human and environmental costs than expected benefits. Dams physically alter rivers and deplete their water, which serves as the bloodline of numerous communities, especially indigenous peoples,” TFIP explained.
The group added that numerous cases around the world show how indigenous peoples, who were forced to move from their ancestral homes by dam construction, have disintegrated from once cohesive and self-sufficient communities to scattered peoples suffering from hunger, unemployment and rampant social problems.
“Displaced villagers hardly ever get any benefit from the electricity generated by the dam,” the group claimed.
Scientific studies have also found large dams to be uneconomic, with a report from the University of Oxford saying, “We find that even before accounting for negative impacts on human society and environment, the actual construction costs of large dams are too high to yield a positive return.… Large dams also take inordinately long periods of time to get built, making them ineffective in resolving urgent energy crises.
“Simply put, dams don’t just destroy the environment and impoverish local communities. They also don’t make economic sense. Indigenous peoples in the Philippines have had their share of adverse effects and sufferings brought about by the construction of large dams. Many people were physically and culturally displaced when the Ambuklao, Binga, San Roque, Magat, Pantabangan, Casecnan, Pulangi IV and other dams were built,” TFIP argued.
It said there were serious losses in biodiversity and food sources originally found in rivers, from the reservoir sites to downstream of these dams.
The water contained in some of these dams are not even fit for human and animal consumption as they are near mining projects and commercial agriculture with highly toxic chemical inputs, the group noted.
“Some rivers have also been used by large mining corporations to build mine tailings dams…. Eventually, the rivers where these dams are located are degraded by severe siltation or sedimentation, contributing to flooding and erosion of river banks downstream.”
After the Ambuklao and Binga dams were built in the 1950s, the Philippine government promoted and supported the construction of more large dams in the country. However, most of these dam projects were met with staunch opposition, especially from indigenous peoples’ organizations and communities, TFIP said.
“One successful struggle was the one against the giant World Bank-funded Chico River Dam Project, which did not push through because of the united, decisive and strong collective action by the Kalinga and Bontoc people,” it said.
Other dams were constructed, but were also met with strong opposition from indigenous peoples and advocates of indigenous peoples’ rights. Militarization, which aimed to repress these struggles, led to other human-rights violations including killings against indigenous peoples and their advocates.
Two indigenous dam activists, Macliing Dulag and Nicanor de los Santos, were killed because they led their peoples, the Kalinga and Dumagat, respectively, in their struggles against large dams, it said.
The Philippine government has been pushing for the construction of more large dams including the Pulangi Mega Dam V in North Cotabato and Bukidnon; the Kaliwa or Laiban Dam in Rizal and Quezon; the Jalaur Dam in Panay; and the Balog-balog Dam in Tarlac.
“Already, there is widespread opposition by indigenous peoples’ organizations and communities, and their advocates because of the serious threats these dam projects pose to their continued survival. Another concern is that these dams will be constructed even without the free, prior and informed consent [FPIC] of indigenous communities. All large dams built before did not pass through legitimate FPIC processes with affected indigenous communities located upstream and downstream of the dams,” the TFIP said.
TFIP said that it calls on government to stop building large and destructive dams.
“Genuine FPIC processes based on customary decision-making practices, including the people’s right to say ‘no’ to unwanted dam projects must be respected and recognized. Instead, genuine development alternatives, such as community-based renewable energy systems that truly benefit the people should be promoted,” the group concluded.
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