05

The social and environmental impact studies find that if the large dam is built at the proposed location two fishing villages will need to be relocated. There are 500 people in each village, which makes up 4% of the total population.

The public participation during the social and environmental impact study found that half of the community members or more are not willing to move for a range of reasons, including because they have fished for generations and they do not know other ways of making a living, the river has cultural importance to them, and for some the compensation package is not enough for them to buy land to become farmers.

The Governor also has the authority to negotiate directly with the community members to increase the compensation package, although once initiated they can take some time and potentially delay the project for several years. It might also be possible to examine other options for the large dam, in which no resettlement is required, although again this could potentially delay the project for several years.

Would you advise to negotiate the compensation package with the community or initiate a new technical proposal that avoids all resettlement?