| Case Name |
The protest activity for the long term by local inhabitants in the hydraulic power generation construction. |
| Pictograph |
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| Date |
November 1, 1998 |
| Place |
A country, the Southeast Asia |
| Overview |
In hydro power project B of the A country in Southeast Asia, 30 local habitants submitted the protest note to the local government which described that they had received health hazard, house damage, and that livestock production also had decreased because of the effect of lock blasting construction for 4 months. And, they made a protest demonstration to require upper load of the compensation per household of about \900000. The negotiation between local inhabitants, the government and the erectric public cooperation lasted over 1 year.
It became a trigger of the protest activity of the local inhabitants that there was no upper load of compensation amount for damage and damage itself in which the rock blasting construction seemed to be a cause. For the inhabitants, it was the bad luck that there was no perceived causal relation between blasting and damage content. As one of the reasons, there was the fact that the inhabitants did not record the damage record sufficiently. In future it is required that not only inhabitants but also project execution staff record the situation on the anticipated damage. |
| Incident |
In hydro power project B of the A country in Southeast Asia, 30 local habitants submitted the protest note to the local government which described that they had suffered health hazards, house damage and that livestock product also had decreased because of the lock blasting construction lasting 4 months. In addition, they held the protest demonstration to require the upper load of the compensation per household of about \900000. The negotiation between local inhabitants and government, the electric public cooperation lasted over 1 year. |
| Sequence |
This hydro power project B generates gross 1000MW, and it consists of the construction of a reservoir in the mountainous area, an underground power plant, an underground headrace channel and a transmission line. There was no protest actvity for 3 years after the construction started and it seemed to be carried out smoothly. However, to the local government 30 local inhabitants submitted the protest note which described that they had suffered health hazards, house damage and that livestock product also had decreased after rock blasting construction for the reservoir was carried lasting 4 months. In addition, they held the protest demonstration to require upper load of the compensation per household of about \900000. The government and the erectric public cooperation organized the temporary committee which consisted of a related government agency and electric public cooperation and representatives of the inhabitants, by receiving the sudden protest from the inhabitants, and it probed the protest content of the inhabitants. The results are as follows.
1 The causal relation is not recognized between rock blasting construction and the damage about which the inhabitants complained.
2 However, the project execution person should carry out further support for maintenance and improvement of health of the local inhabitants and the integrated network infrastructure of the region.
3 When the damage occurs in a home, the project execution person should repair it.
These were the decisions reached.
The electric public cooperation intended to follow this decision. However, the local inhabitants continued the protest activity without agreeing with the decision of the committee, so some NGO held the round-table conference on this case in search of the new solution. 120 persons which consisted of the Power authority, a related government agency, local inhabitants, the scholars, NGO and mass communication attended the round-table conference. However, there was no progress during the conference because the electric public cooperation persisted in upholding the decision of the commttee and the local inhabitants persisted in demanding the upper load of the compensation. |
| Cause |
It became a trigger of the protest activity of the local inhabitants that there was no upper load of compensation amount for damage in which the rock blasting construction seemed to be a cause. |
| Countermeasures |
It seems to reasonable to say that the government and the electric public cooperation organized the temporary committee for the protest from the inhabitants immediately, and made the decision. For the inhabitants, it was the bad luck that there was no perceived causal relation between blasting and damage content. As one of this reasons, there was fact that the inhabitants did not record the damage sufficiently. In future it is required that not only inhabitants but also project execution staff record the situation on the anticipated damage. The principal objective of conventional EIMP ( Environmental Impact Mitigation Plan ) was to reduce negative effects of the project for natural environment and the life of the inhabitants. In the meantime, this EIMP add the following for improving living standard of the local inhabitants.
1 Operation of the local inhabitants
2 Establishment of the farmers' cooperative
3 Interacion of network infrastructure
In this project, these new trials did not succeed sufficiently. In the future, the following seem to be important.
* To plan the support contents with understanding feeling and ability of the inhabitants sufficiently
* In the case of innovating the new technique such as establishing the farmers' cooperative etc. to adopt the experts who are familiar with the technique and to make the inhabitants understanding the reasoning behind the plan.
* To prompt the voluntary development of the inhabitants |
| Knowledge Comment |
It is important to get the understanding about the project execution from local inhabitants who will be forced to make one-sided sacrifices in hydro power projects in a "developing country" like the A country, in the future.
The following seem to be important.
* To plan the support package with understanding, feeling and ability towards the inhabitants sufficiently
* In case of innovating the new technique such as establishing the farmers' cooperative etc, to adopt the experts who are familiar with the technique and to make the inhabitants understanding the reasoning behind the plan.
* To prompt the voluntary development of the inhabitants
It is also necessary that the operational situation of each program of EIMP is inspected and evaluated properly, and access to the result is open to the inhabitant. And, it is useful that not only inhabitants but also project execution people record the data in regard to the anticipated problems, in case there is a conflict between project execution persons and the habitants. |
| Background |
In this project, Environmental Impact Mitigation Plan ( it is abbreviated to EIMP ) is decided and executed. EIMP consists of the following, and about 7 hundred million yen as the total amount was appropriated. 1Public relations, 2 Compensatory negotiation for the victims, 3 Prevention of the soil loss, 4 Ruduction of deposited silt to the reservoir, 5 Prevention of air pollution, noise and vibration, 6 Health maintenance of the habitants during construction, Establishment of development fund and medical fund, 7 Security of the aquatic resource in the reservoir, 8 Maintenance of the good water quality of dischange from the dam, 9 Tree planting project, 10 Improvement programs of living standard by the integrated network infrastructure (Community road, water supply facilities and religious facilities, the education support), 11 Establishment of the farmers' cooperative, 12 Vocational training program, 13 Redistribution of the land, 14 Inspection and evaluation of the operational situation of each program
In the background to prolonging the protest activity of the inhabitants, there seemed to be the dissatisfaction with some EIMP items. Background factors of prolonging the protest activity seemed to be the following, because of the result of the hearing investigation and the questionnaire survey to electric public cooperation, local habitants, NGO, the scholars, and relation government.
a) The result of the vocational training program was not sufficient.
b) The farmers' cooperative was not managed smoothly.
c) Inspection and evaluation of the operational situation of each program were insufficient.
As a matter of fact, a) and b) were advantages of this EIMP which was intended to rise of the living standard of the local inhabitants. Regrettably, in this project, these new trials were not always sufficiently successful. Some people in the NGO which supports the protest of the inhabitants said "There were some improper items on EIMP which were made by electric public cooperation for developing the community. The electric public cooperation does not understand the true meaning of improvement of living standard of the inhabitants and the vocational training". |
| Incidental Discussion |
In the background where the scope of EIMP expands, the A country instituted "Enhancement and Conservation of National Environmental Quality Act" in April, 1992. The environmental administration was reformed, because there was a limit in the conventional environmental administration technique. Three organizations which consist of environmental policy plan room, environmental control station and environment improvement station are newly established and they are attempting to decide and execute the effective strategy, policy and plan not only at the state level but also for environmental problems of each area. In the hydraulic power generation dam project, the environmental impact assessment report and the environmental effect reduction plan (EIMP) are submitted to the environmental policy plan room, and it is required that the former receives the examination and that the latter receives the approval. Also, the operational situation of EIMP is to be inspected by the environmental policy plan room. It seems to be essential for the environmental policy plan room to suggest the way of environmental preservation to the project execution persons independently so that the new system may sufficiently function. In the A country, the constitution was revised in 1997, and in the large-scale construction project, the opening of public hearing became necessary. In this project, the construction started before the constitution was revised, so only the outline of this project was explained to the habitants. The electric public cooperation refused to allow the openings of public hearing even though the NGO required it |
| Reason for Adding to DB |
In most countries, it seems to become more and more important and difficult to get understanding of the project execution from local inhabitants who are one-sidedly forced to make sacrifices without receiving direct benefit from the project. It is necessary that the architect-engineers urgently discover and develop the method to establish the "win-win" relationship between local inhabitants and project execution people. EIMP is one of the countermeasures which are indispensable in order to establish the "win-win" relationship. It seems to be significant to reexamine the ideal way of EIMP. |
| Scenario |
| Primary Scenario
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Poor Concept, Poor Strategy or Concept, Organizational Problems, Inflexible Management Structure, Production, Hardware Production, Damage to Society, Change in Perception, Loss to Organization, Social Loss
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| Sources |
The failure knowledge database development project: construction field research council fourth research council announcement material.
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| Field |
Civil Engineering
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| Author |
WATANABE, Tsunemi (Kochi University of Technology)
KUNISHIMA, Masahiko (The University of Tokyo)
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