International River Day (14/03)

On March 14, many countries celebrate International Day for Rivers, formerly International Day of Action Against Dams and for Rivers, Water and Life. It is also known around the world as the «International Day of Action against Dams», which appeared in the calendar of environmental dates at the initiative of the American public organization «International Rec» Network.

In March 1997, the First International Conference against the Construction of Large Dams was held in the Brazilian city of Curitiba, which supported the establishment of a new holiday and decided to celebrate the Day of Struggle against Dams in defense of Rivers, Water and Life annually on March 14«. The motto of the Day was the words: «For rivers, water and life!».

The conference, which brought together the public of 20 countries, set an important task: to develop democratic methods for managing river basins. In their address, delegates cited the following figures: over the past half century, up to 60 million people have been forced to flee their homes due to the construction of dams, and almost half a million square kilometers of fertile land and forests have been flooded. Therefore, the conference participants also called for an assessment of the risk and possible consequences of breaking large dams and what possible casualties and destruction this could lead to.

The conference called for all actions to be carried out under the slogan: «Let water bring life, not death!» and she called on governments, international agencies and investors to establish a moratorium on the construction of large dams until an international independent examination of their construction projects is carried out, as well as compensation for damage to people and nature.

At the beginning of the anti-dam world movement, in 1998, more than 50 protests took place on this day in more than 20 countries, including Brazil, India, Thailand, Australia, Russia, Japan, and the USA.

In the first year, more than 10 thousand caring people took part in demonstrations, campaigns to send letters of protest, and clean up rivers. The following year there were already more than 100 thousand participants.

«Due to the fact that the number of unregulated rivers is rapidly decreasing, we may encounter the influence of dams not only on the rivers themselves, but also on other natural objects and phenomena. Now we cannot assess the damage from the disruption of the natural flow of the river, and when the consequences appear, it will be too late», — says the report of one of the authors, coordinators of the World Water Forum programs on the dams of Utah Koller.



Of the 177 largest rivers in the world (more than 1 thousand kilometers in length), only a third do not have dams or other structures on their main channel. 21 large rivers are free in their course from their sources to their mouth. Another 43 large tributaries of great rivers, such as the Congo, the Amazon and the Lena, remain unregulated. The construction of dams on rivers — is a dangerous trend that threatens the nature of the entire planet. It is also important to understand what consequences the breakthrough of large dams can lead to, including — to possible casualties and destruction.

Most unregulated rivers today are in Asia, South and North America. The World Water Forum predicts that one in four of the world's largest rivers will be regulated in the next 15 years. But activists of the anti-dam movement continue their active work, seeking the dismantling of dams in different countries of the world.



• Infographics – poster «March 14 — International Rec Day»

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