The Prosecutor’s Brief

Silenced Rivers: The Ecology and Politics of Large Dams

by Patrick McCully

Zed Books, London, 1996

The book makes an overwhelming argument against dams; but it is equally possible to build a strong case against other symbols of 'development'.

At the outset it must be noted that the book on review is a severe indictment of large dams rather than an exercise in dispassionate judicial inquiry: the author is prosecuting counsel, not a judge. This is meant not as a criticism of the book, but as a definition of its nature. Silenced Rivers is clearly an anti-dam book; but it would be myopic to put it aside as ´campaign literature´, as some might be inclined to do.devel

At the outset it must be noted that the book on review is a severe indictment of large dams rather than an exercise in dispassionate judicial inquiry: the author is prosecuting counsel, not a judge. This is meant not as a criticism of the book, but as a definition of its nature. Silenced Rivers is clearly an anti-dam book; but it would be myopic to put it aside as ´campaign literature´, as some might be inclined to do.

Starting with a brief history of the damming of rivers, author McCully deals comprehensively and systematically with the entire range of impacts and consequences of large dam projects. They include submergence of land and forest; violent disturbance of millennia-old ecological systems; severe impacts on flora and wildlife; damage to river morphology and to the quality of the water through the stilling of flowing rivers, with dire consequences to aquatic life; the emission of some greenhouse gases from reservoirs; the emergence and spread of disease vectors; the ecological and economic impact downstream from reduced flows and the trapping of silt and nutrients; the traumatic uprooting of people, their resistance, and the inevitable tendency of the state to respond with incomprehension and violence; the loss of valuable agricultural land through waterlogging; the salinisation from canal irrigation; the rapid siltation of reservoirs; the problem of reservoir-induced seismicity; the danger of dam failures….

All these and more are described in detail, their technical aspects lucidly explained, the issues analysed, and a wealth of illustrations provided from all over the world. The book brings out clearly the technological hubris, the giganticism, and the attitude of ´conquest of nature´ that lie behind such projects. McCully then proceeds to show the dubious nature of most environmental impact assessment (EIA) studies. The claimed benefits (irrigation, hydroelectric power, drinking water, flood control, etc) are analysed, and found to be mostly overstated, as also in conflict with one another. Grave inadequacies (both technical and managerial) are identified in project planning and execution, corruption, enormous delays in completion and staggering cost over-runs.

The book brings out the serious infirmities in the process of decision-making in big building, the biases that engineers, bureaucrats and politicians bring to bear even in the best of circumstances, and of course the undoubted operation of vested interests, political motivation, power-seeking and sheer human cupidity. It draws attention to insidious relationships between engineers, bureaucrats and politicians on the one hand and contractors on the other; as also between project planners/managers and consultants. Thereafter, the book gives an account of anti-dam movements in several parts of the world. Finally, the author proceeds to outline alternatives to such projects.

Among the many facile assumptions and glib claims which are examined and shown to be untenable are the following: that all adverse effects of dams can be ´mitigated´; that the loss of fish populations because of the disruption of their movement can be compensated by the development of fisheries in reservoirs; and that hydroelectric power from large dams is non-polluting and cheap. The book also highlights the enormous difficulty of satisfactorily resettling uprooted people. It breaks new ground in drawing attention to the unique problem presented by dams which have ceased (or may cease) to be useful, and the difficulties of ´de-commissioning´ them.

Supply-Side Arguments
That was a very broad overview of the contents of the book. It is undoubtedly "a great scholarly work", a "magnum opus" (to quote opinions cited by the publishers), and it should certainly be "required reading for all politicians and a prime text in engineering schools". The appearance of this book is an important milestone in the history of the controversy of big dams. And yet, some questions and doubts remain in the mind.

A couple of minor points may be mentioned first. There is an asymmetry in the author´s receptivity to the views and arguments of others. McCully maintains (quite rightly) a critical and sceptical attitude towards the claims, defences and justifications put forward by the supporters of large dams, but tends to accept adverse criticism rather more readily. For want of space, this comment cannot be properly substantiated here. Secondly, the author uses the expression "pro-dam lobby" more than once. Doubtless it exists. On the other hand, the supporters of such projects speak disparagingly of the "anti-dam lobby", and doubtless that exists too. However, there is a sharp divide on this issue, and there are at least some on either side who speak out of genuine conviction and do not belong to any lobby. This does not exempt them from error, and clearly one side in this important debate must be wrong. A constructive exchange between the two sides needs to be maintained at that non-lobby level.

Turning to more important questions, the crucial one is whether we can rule out large dams altogether. The author clearly believes that we can and should, but his advocacy of alternatives (watershed development, small hydro, solar and wind energy) is not as powerfully persuasive as his critique of large dams. He will probably argue that in any case dams do not serve the projected purposes but do more harm than good, and that the establishment of alternatives cannot be a precondition for rejecting something we know to be bad.

He may well be right; but a more thorough development of this argument would have been useful, particularly because engineers and planners continue to project huge future needs of water and energy and to argue that large supply-side solutions in the form of "mega-projects" are inescapable. The answer to that will have to be partly that the needs can be met through alternative means, and partly that the needs themselves will have to be sharply scaled down; and that humanity will have to learn to make do with less water and less energy than it thinks it needs. This implies drastic changes in ways of living. What are the prospects of persuading the nations of the world to accept this?

Which leads us to our last and most difficult question. Silenced Rivers marshals an impressive array of evidence and makes an overwhelming case against dams; but it is equally possible to build up a strong case against other symbols of ´development´: coal-burning and nuclear power plants; metallurgical, chemical, hydrocarbon and petro-chemical industries and mining complexes; monstrous megalopolises; the exploding automobile population; vast networks of railways and highways built by trenching into natural flood-plains, drainage channels, fields, forests and wildlife habitats, and by blasting hillsides and tunnelling through mountains; the onslaught on aquatic life by giant trawlers and whaling vessels; the staggering global trade in oil and the very real threat of oil-spills; and so on.

All these are manifestations of a certain conception of ´development´ based on a glorification of consumption and accompanied by a strident belief in science and technology and a related attitude to nature. Can we continue with our current ideas of ´development´ and give up only the practice of damming of rivers; or is the author implicitly recommending radical changes in our notions of what constitutes development? The issue is not squarely confronted in the book.

The question certainly bristles with difficulties. Where does one draw the line between acceptable and unacceptable interferences with nature? At what level does technology become hubristic or pathological? Even ´small´ projects (as the author points out) can have significant environmental and ecological impacts; can one then make a simple choice between ´large´ and ´small´? Again, we tend to distinguish between modern technology which is malign and traditional practices which are benign; but the Grand Anicut built by the Chola Kings in South India two thousand years ago, and the Maribu dam in Yemen, which is more than three thousand years old, were not small structures, and must have represented advanced technology in their time. These questions are not being raised in the spirit of debating points; the intention is merely to illustrate the complexities in which we are embroiled when we begin exploring these issues.

However, this is a book on large dams – a difficult enough theme in all conscience – and it cannot be faulted for not tackling a much wider canvas. On its chosen theme, it is virtually definitive. This review began by saying that the author is prosecuting counsel and not a judge. It is the reader who must assume the judicial role. To one reader, at any rate, it appears the prosecuting counsel has presented an unanswerable case against large dams. Will the defence counsel step forward?