DUSHANBE, June 25, 2014, Asia-Plus – A report on the Roghun dam by Francesca Corbacho, a Human Right Watch (HRW) fellow, We Suffered When We Came Here , has been released today.  

The 81-page report examines serious shortcomings in the government’s resettlement of 1,500 families since 2009. The Roghun Dam and Hydropower Plant stands to displace over 42,000 people before it is operational. The major problem, people said, was that they were not given enough compensation to replace their homes.  In addition, many people were not able to get land in their new communities that they needed for agriculture and livestock to supplement their incomes, and some new communities did not yet have schools.

The report, in particular, notes that the dam may be problematic when it comes to displacing people.

According to the report, Tajikistan’s government plans to relocate 42,000 people whose homes are on land that will be flooded by the Roghun Dam project.  But, some of the 1,500 families who have already been resettled are struggling to build new homes, no longer have enough land to farm or regular access to clean water, and face other serious problems.

Those surveyed reportedly said they had 5 or 6 cows, 25 or 30 sheep or goats, and a lot of hens, but had sold their livestock when they moved because they felt they weren’t going to have enough space to keep them. The animals that were moved to the new sites haven’t fared well in the drier climate. There’s no space for them to roam and eat, or for a barn to shelter them.

Families can apply to the government for additional farmland, but the government hasn’t given most people information on the land’s availability or on how to apply for it.

Different communities face different issues.  Some aren’t getting enough water, as it’s supplied by electricity in their new homes, as opposed to a mountain stream, and there’s electricity only for a few hours a day for much of the year.  Schools haven’t been built near all communities.  Some kids have to walk up to two hours to reach their school, and understandably some parents are reluctant to send them during the cold winter months or bad weather.

The government has addressed some problems.  They have built a school for one community and the government has taken steps to build some settlements closer to the original communities, so people can maintain similar livelihoods with farming.  But more needs to be done.  

The report notes that according to the feasibility studies, the dam is estimated to cost between US$3 and $5 billion, and the government is seeking funds from outside donors.  An adequate portion of this very large sum should be dedicated to resettlement.

Roughly two decades ago, the World Bank stopped funding these types of large-scale, potentially transformative projects because of the human rights abuses and other issues they ran up against.  While the World Bank hasn’t committed to funding the dam, it is commissioning assessments to assist the Tajik government.

The World Bank is doing two feasibility studies on the dam, one of which concerns resettlement.  The studies were just released last week for public comment.  They make clear that resettlement is going to be a major impact of the dam and that restoration of people’s livelihoods needs to be a priority.  This is good.  On the other hand, there are some big gaps.  While the studies consider international environmental laws, they don’t cite any international human rights standards. 

Resettlement is suspended as the World Bank finalizes these studies, so we’re at a critical moment. Tajikistan has agreed to abide by the World Bank’s recommendations.  If we can highlight what needs to be changed to both the World Bank and Tajikistan, it could prevent the next 5,500 families to be resettled from experiencing similar rights abuses.