ICOLD Bulletin 159, Supplement to the Position Paper on Dams and the Environment, summarizes the role of dams in the future in the context of the global environmental changes which have become a significant issue in recent years. Global problems such as climate change have impacts on dam safety. Dams can therefore be both affected by global problems and help provide solutions to these isses. And although the issue of dam safety in relation to global climate changes is very important, this topic will be addressed by ICOLD in other publications.
Since the original publication, in 1997, of the Position Paper on Dams and the Environment was published, it is gratifying to note that worldwide progress has been made in the areas of water resource development and environmental challenges. These developments at the organizational level and the cited publications are only a few examples of global advances in environmentally sound development in general, and of water resources and dam developments in particular. However, they demonstrate that by agreeing on a set of common goals and working within a sustainable framework, individual dam projects can play a significant role in improving the everyday lives of millions of people.
About the Author: the Commission Internationale des Grands Barrages (CIGB) / International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) is a non-governmental International Organization which provides a forum for the exchange of knowledge and experience in dam engineering.
The Organization leads the profession in ensuring that dams are built safely, efficiently, economically, and without detrimental effects on the environment. Its original aim was to encourage advances in the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of large dams and their associated civil works, by collecting and disseminating relevant information and by studying related technical questions.
Since the late sixties, focus was put on subjects of current concern such as dam safety, monitoring of performance, reanalysis of older dams and spillways, effects of ageing and environmental impact. More recently, new subjects include cost studies at the planning and construction stages, harnessing international rivers, information for the public at large, and financing.
