Rivers without Boundaries

Mapping of the freshwater biodiversity of Central Asia will help to preserve it from destruction

Central Asian rivers are home to dozens of endemic and threatened fish species, most of which are not well studied. According to the International Union for Conservation for Nature (IUCN) Red List, 21 fish species in the region are critically endangered (CR), endangered (EN), or vulnerable (VU).  Several vertebrate species …

How to interact with development banks lending to hydropower projects?

Bankwatch and Rivers without Boundaries have produced a Toolkit aimed primarily at civil society organizations working to challenge the construction of dams and other unsustainable water infrastructure. It focuses on Central Asia, a region where numerous highly problematic dam projects are still planned. As the region lacks an established culture …

Stop Attacks at the Tishreen Dam in Syria! Remember the Lessons of Kakhovka Dam Collapse in Ukraine.

Tishreen Dam on Euphrates River. Source: www.geosense.com A month-long intense clashes and recent aerial bombardment of the areas adjacent to Tishreen Dam on Euphrates River, as well as mutual accusations accompanying this conflict, vividly remind us the period before the blasting of Kakhovka Dam on Dnipro River in June 2023. …

World Bank makes a deadly mistake funding “The Pyramid of Rahmon” without consideration of alternatives

On December 17, the World Bank Board of Directors approved USD 350 million grant to Tajikistan to complete the tallest dam in the world – Rogun HPP on the Vakhsh River. This decision was taken despite the project being non-compliant with the World Bank’s Environmental and Social Standards. Kuwait Fund …

Asian Development Bank exempts free flowing rivers from dam construction

Large rivers without dams and other water infrastructure will receive additional protection from hydropower development: thanks to the efforts of the international non-governmental organizations including our Coalition, Rivers without Boundaries, the Asian Development Bank has just included in its new Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) the “free-flowing rivers” as a …

At the time of Climate COP Rogun HPP Project is causing schizophrenia among international finance institutions

As the climate COP is coming, every bureaucratic trickster is seeking to promote its favorite “false solution” for climate adaptation and mitigation. Proponents of the giant Rogun HPP Project in Tajikistan are no exception in this regard. International Monetary Fund justifying unjustifiable The IMF released on November 8 a Technical …