ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with recent examples of the long-term harm that is often done by such enterprises, and discusses various levels of local and international opposition to dam building. It concerns ourselves primarily with dams and with what the author calls the 'mega-effects' of ordinary domestic exploitation of water. Damming on a smaller scale is regularly carried out for 'industrial agriculture' purposes. Dam construction, as well as having such an immense environmental, climatic and social impact, requires a financial outlay that puts the gross national products (GNPs) of many nations to shame. The World Bank has tolerated and thus contributed to gross violations of human rights by governments in the process of implementing Bank-funded large dams, including arbitrary arrests, beatings, rape and shootings of peaceful demonstrators. The Bank hoped to gain further environmental information from the Chinese that would allow a positive decision – it is not against the project in principle.
