Boekresensie Silenced rivers: The ecology and politics of large dams PATRICK MCCULLy l Die outeur, Patrick McCully, stel die vraag of die bou van groot damme om ontwikkeling in agtergeblewe gebiede te stimuleer, werklik enige waorde het. Hy sluit aan by skrywers soos Jane Ja­ cobs (1994: 11OJ and Peter Hall (1988: 163) wat tot die gevolgtrek­ king kom dot groot damme nie noodwendig streekontwikkeling bevorder nie en se die projek van die Tennessee Valley Authority is 'n sprekende voorbeeld daarvan. McCully se standpunt is dot baie skrywers, leiers, ingenieurs, bu­rokrate, nasionaliste en rewolusioniste groot damme sien as magtige simbole van patriotisme en 'n manier waorop die na­tuur aan die genialiteit van die mens onderwerp kan word (1996: 1). Die uitwerking wat die bou van groot damme (met 'n wal van 15 meter en hoer) ekonomies en sielkundig op die meer as dertig miljoen mense gehad het wat reeds wereldwyd in die proses van dambou verskuif moes word, is van so 'n aard dot weinig van hierdie mense ooit daarvan herstel. Die skrywer wys byvoorbeeld daorop dot, in 'n poging om die probleme van die yl bevolkte droe westelike dele van die VSA deur middel van die sogenaamde "Westelike Waterontwik­keling" die hoof te bied, spekulante en groot grondeienaors die partye was wat die meeste voordeel uit die projek getrek het. Die belastingbetalers en die inwoners (wie se grond oorspoel is) het aan die kortste end getrek. Nog 'n voorbeeld waarna hy verwys, is die Tennessee Valley Authority-projek, wat wereldwyd die simbool is van "'n groot dam", moor waor die inwoners in­derwaorheid armer is as die populasie in omliggende gebiede wat nie "voordeel" uit die TV A-ontwikkeling getrek het nie (1996: 17). McCully goon voort deur te wys op die sestig meter hoe Dnesprostroi-dam in die Dnieperrivier in die voormalige USSR. 'n Groot gedeelte van die vrugbare Ukra·1ne is nou onder water. Sowjet-hidroloe het glo agterna gese dot indien hooi op die oor­ spoelde gebied geplant, geoes en verbrand sou word, door Resensie deur: Dr Malene M Campbell. MSS (UOVS). Ph D (UOVS). 'n lektor verbonde aan die Departement Stads- en Streekbeplanning. Universiteit von die Oranje-Vrystaat, Bloemfontein. SA. 113 Mccully/ Silenced rivers: the ecology and politics of large dams jaarliks dieselfde hoeveelheid energie beskibraar gestel sou kon word as wat deur die betrokke elektriese aanleg opgewek word (1996: 17). Die auteur wys verder daarop dot die bou van groat damme die beeindiging van winsgewende kommersiele visbedrywe in die betrokke riviere tot gevolg gehad het. Hy wys voorts daarop dot die Farakka-dam in lndie 'n katastrofiese impak het op die ekonomie en die ekologie van Bangladesh, wat stroomaf le. As alternatief vir groat damme stel McCully voor dot maatreels neergele behoort te word wat die groeiende behoefte vir elek­ trisiteit sol verminder deur byvoorbeeld die daarstelling van 'n stedelike en landbou-ontwikkelingsbeleid, wat die beperkinge van 'n droe landstreek verreken, deur nie water wat vir die ver­ bouiing van gewasse wat eerder in 'n landstreek met 'n hoer reenval tuishoort, te subsidieer nie. McCully klink aanvanklik soos 'n omgewingsfanatikus, moor eval­ ueer vervolgens tog die politieke, ekonomiese en menslike as­ pekte noukeurig. Hy motiveer sy standpunt, deur middel van deeglik nagevorste voorbeelde van die effek van groat damme regoor die wereld, dot groat damme nie volhoubaar is nie. Die auteur kom tot die gevolgtrekking dot die dam-industrie primer winsbejag ten doel het, ongeag daarvan of die projek tegnies en ekonomies haalbaar sou wees. McCully lewer beslis 'n bydrae tot die blootlegging van politieke realiteite, die rol van die Wereldbank en die talle onvervulde be­ loftes wat groat damme sou inhou. Die boek kan van groat waarde wees vir politici, ingenieurs, streekbeplanners en geograwe om bo en behalwe inligting oor die omgewingsimpak van groat damme en die mislukkings op tegniese gebied, ook 'n in diepte bespreking gee van die van die traumatiese gevolge wat hervestigings vir die betrokke plaaslike bevolkings inhou. Publikasiedatum: 1996 Uitgewer: ZED BOOKS Piek: LONDEN Prys: $15.95 BRONNELYS HALL, P. 1988. Cities of tomorrow. Oxford: Basil Blackwell Ltd. JACOBS, J. 1984. Cities and the wealth of nations. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books Ltd. 114 Book review Silenced rivers: The ecology and politics of large dams PATRICK MCCULLY 1 In his book Patrick McCully asks the question whether the con­ struction of large dams actually do stimulate development in un­ derdeveloped areas. He comes to the same conclusion as Jane Jacobs (1994: 110) and Peter Hall (1988: 163), namely that those projects rather have a detrimental effect on regional develop­ ment than otherwise. One of the best examples according to him is the so called Tennessee Valley Authority project in the USA. McCully says "to many other writers, leaders, engineers, bureau­ crats, nationalists and revolutionaries, big dams have been po­ tent symbols of patriotic pride and the conquest of nature by hu­man ingenuity" ( 1996: 1). The human consequences however of damming for more than thirty million people who were flooded off their lands by large dams (with a crest measuring fifteen me­tre or more from foundation to crest), are such that very few of them seem to have had recovered economically or psychologi­cally (1996: 7-8). In an attempt to solve the problems of the sparsely populated United States west through damming, speculators and large landowners, together with construction companies, benefited most from the project. The taxpayers and the indigenous people were the losers. Despite all the money spent by the Tennessee Valley Authority project (TV A), the local population was still poorer than those living in nearby areas (1996: 17). The sixty metre high Dnesprostroi dam in the Dnieper river flooded so much prime Ukrainian farmland that Soviet hydrolo­ gists came to the conclusion that the same amount of energy per annum could have seen yielded if the hay planted and har­ vested from the area submerged were burnt as fuel (p. 17). McCully comes to the conclusion that damming brings all exist­ ing commercial fishing industries to a halt. A good example, ac- Book review by: Dr Malene M Campbell. MSS (UOFS). Ph D (UOFS). a lecturer at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Orange Free State, Bloemfontein, SA. 115 Mccully/ Silenced rivers: the ecology and politics of large dams cording to the author, is the Farakka dam in India, which had a catastrophic impact on the economy of the country as well as on the ecology in downstream Bangladesh. As an alternative to large dams McCully proposes that certain measures have to be taken to cut growing electricity demands. He suggests an urban and agricultural development policy that takes the limitations of an arid region into account by not subsi­ dising the cultivation of crops more suitable to a region with a higher rainfall. Initially McCully seems to be an environment fanatic, but he does address political, economic and human issues and moti­ vates his viewpoint on the unsustainability of large dams with well researched evidence on the effects they have on the re­ gion involved. He finally comes to the conclusion that the dam industry has profit in itself as the prime motive regardless of the technical and economical viability of projects. McCully contributed towards the debate on large dams by ex­ posing the political reality, the role of the World Bank, empty promises and all the elusive benefits large dams implies. The book also provides instructive information for politicians, engi­ neers, regional planners and geographers addressing the envi­ ronmental impact, technical failures and traumatic results of re­ settlement policies. Published in: 1996 Publisher: ZED BOOKS Place: LONDON PRICE: $15.95 REFERENCES HALL P. 1988. Cities of tomorrow. Oxford: Basil Blackwell Ltd. JACOBS, J. 1984. Cities and the wealth of nations. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books Ltd. 116