Water Dams

In this presentation, we will discuss some of the preliminary considerations and initial results from a collaborative project with engages with the memories of the survivors and descendants of the Santa Teresa de Potonico community in the South East region of Chalatenango. The project explores the complex experiences of this resilient group from the early 1970s to the present day, including its grassroots efforts to obtain ownership of the land from the hacienda owner; establishing control of its traumatic uprooting due to the impending construction of the hydro-electric mega-dam of Cerrón Grande on their lands in 1976; and additional trauma and displacement through the brutal heights of the war. The project seeks to document memories of 1) the flooding, the resistance to, and negotiation around the departure from the ancestral lands beside the Lempa River; 2) the relocation to government designated areas, with a circular urban design that would later come to facilitate state surveillance and persecution of the community by state forces; 3) the different experiences of the war, including but not limited to the experiences of combatants, sympathisers, collaborators, neutral parties, and of those who migrated abroad, as well as; 4) the post-conflict strategies of return, remembering and commemoration.

Escalation of interest in sustainable development of land and its valuable resources has accompanied development and environment together. EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) is an important legislative and scientific tool that lends quality assistance to decision-making for sustainable development.
The incorporation of environmental considerations into the decision making process varies from developed countries to developing countries because of diverse set of cultural, economic, social and political patterns. At the beginning the practice of EIA was primarily confined to developed countries but it became increasingly familiar to people in the developing regions due to the active role of national and international organizations and media. Sweden adopted EIA in 1985 and initiated it on a regular basis in 1988 after the Environmental Government Bill, while in Pakistan the EIA studies for any development project became obligatory after the enactment of the Environmental Protection Act in 1997. The EIA system of developing countries is not efficient in terms of application and review. Also the appraisal of issues, decision making process and evaluation through post-monitoring is not well performed.
The stages of the project cycle are not fully integrated in processes of environmental assessment and decision making. The findings of the conducted EIA studies are also not thoroughly considered. The key reason of this shortcoming is the wrong perception of EIA because at the start intensive attention is given to the EIA content that eventually begins to lose at the time of implementation. This results in unexpected and unrequired consequences under different sets of
conditions. The aim of this research is;
1) To review the status of the EIA system in developing and developed countries by going through the developmental and evolutionary history of the EIA system in the world,
2) To provide a gap analysis of the procedural differences at the time of implementation and the consequences of differences after accomplishment of one hydroelectric power plant in each of the countries of Sweden, Pakistan and Norway,
3) To find out the reasons of failures of the EIA system in the developing countries with possible solutions and choices to remove its inadequacies in developing countries in general and Pakistan in particular.

Dams are the cornerstone of a river's basin's growth and management of water resources. Bulacan province has three dams namely Angat, Bustos and Ipo. Bulakenyos greatly fear dam break and failure. It would bring catastrophic damages and worse, it can kill lives. Dam failure can occur with little warning. The effect of this unfortunate case can be lessened if the owner, management of the dam, as well as the provincial and local government have prepared a disaster preparedness program or Emergency Action Plan. A regular comprehensive engineering assessment like structural stability can also be done to avoid dam failure. This research determined the profile and disaster preparedness of various stakeholders in the three dams: Angat, Bustos, and Ipo. Preparation among these, sub-problems of infrastructure occur (1) Assessment of the dam's structural stability and (2) Review of the dam's disaster preparedness plan. An assessment of the profile, current structural stability...

Dams are the cornerstone of a river's basin's growth and management of water resources. Bulacan province has three dams namely Angat, Bustos and Ipo. Bulakenyos greatly fear dam break and failure. It would bring catastrophic damages and worse, it can kill lives. Dam failure can occur with little warning. The effect of this unfortunate case can be lessened if the owner, management of the dam, as well as the provincial and local government have prepared a disaster preparedness program or Emergency Action Plan. A regular comprehensive engineering assessment like structural stability can also be done to avoid dam failure. This research determined the profile and disaster preparedness of various stakeholders in the three dams: Angat, Bustos, and Ipo. Preparation among these, sub-problems of infrastructure occur (1) Assessment of the dam's structural stability and (2) Review of the dam's disaster preparedness plan. An assessment of the profile, current structural stability status of Angat, Bustos, and Ipo Dam in Bulacan, Philippines in relation to the possible earthquake or "the Big One" since the West Valley Fault runs 200 meters East of the Main Dyke of Angat Dam that may affect the local fault in the area. This research also highlights the role and significance of each dam, as well as the disaster preparedness plan of the different stakeholders like the National Power Corporation (NPC), National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Services Administrations (PAGASA), and the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC). The gathering of data was conducted by file review and on-site investigation. The study showed the importance of dams as a dependable source of water supply for domestic and irrigation use, generation of electricity, and flood mitigation. It also revealed that the Angat dam satisfies the current structural stability criteria, can withstand, and has a low probability of dam breach. NPC has an effective emergency action plan, efficient flood forecasting and warning systems, and competent personnel in the field. Bustos and Ipo dam also meet the current stability criteria current structural stability. The possible effects of 7.2 earthquakes in the three dams would be minimal and no loss of life is expected. The study also revealed the reactive approach of PDRRMC and MDRRMC in preparedness and response in case of dam break. The result of the study is vital for the awareness of the public, particularly the community near the dam and those affected by the release of water, and the provincial government. It can be a great Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) material for schools, communities, and use in any disaster risk reduction and management programs within the province of Bulacan.