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dam-l LS: URGENT SIGN-ON LETTER
**** MANY APOLOGIES FOR CROSS POSTINGS *****
EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF JAPAN SET TO APPROVE FUNDING FOR SAN ROQUE DAM PROJECT
Signatories needed by Monday morning September 20, US Pacific Time, please
send your name and organization to aviva@irn.org
Dear friends
We have just found out that JEXIM is set to approve a loan for the San
Roque Dam Project in the Philippines next Wednesday, September 23. Friends
of the Earth Japan and International Rivers Network have been working with
the Cordillera People's Alliance and indigenous affected peoples in the
area to try to stop funding for the project, which would destroy the
indigenous Ibaloi community and negatively affect more than 20,000 people.
The Ibaloi are fiercely opposed to the project as they believe it will
destroy their community and their livelihood.
An independent review of the project's environmental impact assessment
coordinated by IRN, FOE-J and the CPA found that there were serious
deficiencies in the quality of the studies and that many important
questions were not addressed. In addition, a recent fact-finding mission to
the existing resettlement sites found that the resettlement is poor and
people were unhappy with their lot. There are many other problems with the
project, all listed in the letter below.
Please send your responses today!
Thank you for your support.
Aviva Imhof
South-East Asia Campaigner
International Rivers Network
September 21, 1999
Hiroshi Yasuda
Governor
The Export-Import Bank of Japan
Dear Mr. Yasuda
San Roque Dam Project
We, the undersigned __ non-governmental organizations, are writing to urge
you to reconsider your support for the San Roque Dam project, and to
withhold any additional funds for the project until the following matters
are adequately dealth with. We believe that any approval of additional
JEXIM loans at this stage would be premature, and could seriously
jeopardize the lives of many thousands of people upstream and downstream of
the dam. We draw your attention to the following important points.
1. Environmental Impact Assessment Review
As you are aware, International Rivers Network, together with the
Shalupirip Santahnay Indigenous Peoples Movement (SSIPM), Friends of the
Earth Japan and the Cordillera People’s Alliance, coordinated an
independent panel to assess the quality of the San Roque dam project’s
environmental impact assessment.
The review findings were disturbing. The independent panel found that the
reservoir could fill with sediment much faster than the EIA predicts, thus
greatly shortening its lifespan and affecting its economic viability. The
accumulation of toxic sediments could poison the water in the reservoir and
downstream. The dam could be more prone to failure from earthquakes than
the EIA predicts, and the project could exacerbate rather than alleviate
flooding.
Dr. Sergio Feld, an environmental scientist, found that “the sedimentation
rates used in the EIA studies are unreliable and each one of its components
is underestimated. .. Sediment accumulation in the San Roque reservoir
could occur at rates two or three times faster than predicted and the
project life may be 35 to 65 percent shorter than anticipated by project
proponents”, affecting the economic viability of the project. He also found
that sedimentation may cause increased flooding along the upstream portions
of the reservoir, inundating the indigenous Ibaloi people’s lands.
Dr. Robert Moran, a geochemist and hydrogeologist, stated that the
accumulation of toxic sediment in the dam as a result of mining operations
in the watershed area “could make water unsuitable for intended
agricultural and water supply purposes” and “could also make both the
reservoir and downstream river waters toxic to sensitive species of aquatic
organisms.”
Mr. Tiziano Grifoni, a civil engineer, found that the dam may not have been
designed to withstand the highest possible earthquake for the area. He
states that an earthquake more severe than that which the dam has been
designed for could cause large landslides, huge waves which could overtop
the dam, and possible dam break. The potential for occurrence of
reservoir-induced earthquakes “has not been evaluated”, a stunning
revelation given the immense public dangers involved should the dam fail.
Dr. Peter Willing, a hydrologist, found that the reservoir was only
designed to contain a relatively small flood expected to occur once every
five years. The dam “will not contain larger floods”, and “losing the whole
dam is conceivable.” He states that offering flood control for the small
but frequent five-year flood will give people downstsream "a false sense of
security" resulting in far more devastating damage when larger floods occur.
As yet, we have received no response from either JEXIM, the National Power
Corporation (NPC), or the San Roque Power Corporation (SRPC), to these
independent reviews. We believe it would be irresponsible for JEXIM to
proceed with additional loans to the project before these issues are
adequately dealt with.
2. Resettlement
There are indications that the quality of existing resettlement operations
are poor and that people already resettled in Barangay (IKUKO IT IS A
BARANGAY ISN’T IT?) San Roque are unhappy with their lot and maintain that
they had a better life where they came from than in the temporary
relocation sites assigned to them.
According to a fact-finding mission organized by a coalition of Philippine
NGOs and church groups in early August, more than 160 families have been
living in a temporary resettlement site for over a year while waiting for
the permanent relocation site to be completed by the National Power
Corporation. Some of the families stated that they did not want to be
relocated but were forced to. Big trucks and bulldozers arrived to move
their houses and belongings, and military forces could be seen in the
distance. Under the circumstances, people felt they could not refuse the
resettlement money being offered by the NPC.
In the resettlement areas there is no source of long-term livelihood or
income for the families. There is no land to till, and livelihood projects
and other options being offered by the NPC have not succeeded. NPC has
prevented people from gold panning and fishing along the Agno river. There
is no school or health clinic in the vicinity.
According to the fact-finding mission, “Most have doubts on where to get
their income. Those still employed by NPC are not assured of their jobs.
Others are thinking of engaging in kaingin (farming on common property)
somewhere near their place and some are entertaining thoughts of going to
Baguio, Undaneta or Manila to try their luck. For some still, they just
simply don’t know. Still they just hope that there will be hiring again by
NPC.”
We know that JEXIM is committed to ensuring that all resettlement
operations related to San Roque dam proceed with the full consent of the
oustees, and according to international best practice. The fact-finding
mission raises sufficient doubt regarding the quality of resettlement at
San Roque: we therefore implore you to undertake a full, public
investigation of existing resettlement before approving any additional
funds. JEXIM should certainly not be assisting NPC to resettle additional
people before the problems at the existing sites are cleared up.
3. Communities of Dalupirip
The Ibaloi peoples of Dalupirip are still opposed to the project, for good
reason: their experiences with Ambuklao and Binga dams do not engender
trust in the National Power Corporation or in the ability of large dams to
deliver promised benefits.
The findings of the sedimentation review of the EIA have particular
implications for the Ibaloi. The Ibaloi are concerned that high rates of
sedimentation in the watershed area will cause increased flooding around
the reservoir, inundating their lands. The sedimentation review by Dr.
Sergio Feld confirms that the existing projections for sedimentation rates
are unreliable and underestimated, and that it “is expected that sediment
accretion in the upstream portion of the San Roque reservoir will … occur,
which would increase the likelihood and severity of flooding along the
river banks upstream of the reservoir.”
The Resettlement Action Plan fails to address this issue, and there are no
contingency funds available for affected communities should this occur. It
is quite clear that there needs to be a much more in-depth investigation of
the sedimentation issue and how it will affect the Ibaloi before disbursing
any additional funds. There also needs to be a great deal more consultation
with the Ibaloi before proceeding with the project.
4. San Manuel Municipal Council
There are several outstanding issues raised by the San Manuel Municipal
Council in Pangasinan. The Council claims that foremost among these
concerns is the intention of the San Roque Power Corporation to dig at
least 500 hectares of land to a depth of 10 meters in Barangay Narra to be
used for the construction of the dam. This burrowing/ quarrying activity
was never discussed in a public consultation, nor was it included in the
1985 Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) issued by the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources. There does not appear to be any
environmental impact assessment covering this issue, and the residents were
unaware of this activity until a few months ago. The Council is concerned
that this will necessitate the relocation of Narra residents, and that the
burrowing will exacerbate flooding in the area.
Another major outstanding issue relates to the process of consultation with
the indigenous people of Lac-lac. According to the Council, the Memorandum
of Agreement which was the basis of the National Council on Indigenous
Peoples’ (NCIP) Certification was never subjected to a proper consultation
with the whole of the Lac-lac community. The majority of the tribal council
objects to the contents of the MOA. They want a revision of the MOA to
reflect the true wishes of the Lac-lac community through proper
consultation, but until now, their concerns have been largely ignored by
the SRPC and the NPC.
Finally, the Council alleges in a letter the Japanese Ambassador dated
September 15, 1999, that the date for the start of the construction of the
Philippine National Irrigation Administration’s (NIA) Catch Basin Structure
(which we presume to be the re-regulating pond) has not been determined
yet. According to the Council, this means that its completion will be
delayed by at least three to four years after that of the Project. This
will greatly exacerbate flooding in the downstream areas, and could result
in injuries and deaths due to sudden unforeseen releases of water. The
project should definitely not proceed until there are clear plans for the
design and construction of the Catch Basin Structure.
With all the problems associated with this project, it is quite clear that
any release of JEXIM funds would be premature. We urge you to undertake a
thorough and public reassessment of the economic, social and environment
impacts of the project before disbursing any additional funds. To do
otherwise could jeopardize JEXIM’s reputation, which would be funding a
project that is seriously flawed, endangering the lives and livelihoods of
thousands of people downstream and upstream of the dam site.
Thank you for your consideration of these important matters, and we hope to
hear from you soon.
Yours sincerely,
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Aviva Imhof
South-East Asia Campaigner
International Rivers Network
1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley CA 94703 USA
Tel: + 1 510 848 1155 (ext. 312), Fax: + 1 510 848 1008
Email: aviva@irn.org, Web: http://www.irn.org
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