Comm: "The world has had a century-long love affair with dams.

"In the 1930s, dam-building helped kick-start a depressed U.S. economy. The Aswan dam on the Nile transformed the Egyptian economy. Dams could provide limitless electricity. They could ensure water for parched fields or thirsty cities. Dams could help control floods.

"Now though, the love affair is over. The world's forty-five-thousand big dams have often generated as much controversy as they have benefits.

"The environmental and social costs of big dams have at times proved unacceptably high. Fragile ecosystems have been damaged irreparably. Irrigated land's turned to salt. Dams choked with silt have failed to live up to the expectations promised by their designers.

"Millions, meanwhile, have been forced to abandon their homes and their livelihoods.

"It's all triggered a radical re-think and the Independent World Commission on Dams was set up in 1997 to investigate."

Kader Asmal, Chairman, World Commission on Dams (WCD): "We looked at a number of dams, in their context, why were they built, what were the results what were the expectations and how were they fulfilled? What happened to the people downstream, what was the actual nature of the effect on their lives? Particularly we looked at the themes from the environment to resettlement, to the emission of gas, to the benefits that were delivered. Who paid for the benefits and who benefited?

"Two-and-a-half years and ten million dollars later, the World Commission - comprising experts from all sides of the great dam debate - has produced a four-hundred-and-fifty-page report of their findings. They recognise the long term costs that accrue when too few determine for too many what is best for society. In too many cases, the report says, an unacceptably high price has been paid.

"But if power and water supply is needed, the question is 'what's the alternative?' In terms of electricity, how about Nuclear? or Fossil fuels? The problem for planners is they're damned if they do and damned it they don't."

Jan Veltrop, WCD Commissioner: "How are we going to provide all the water and all the energy that will be needed when there are three billion more people in the world? This is a real problem and I think one of the major contributions of the World Commission in this regard is to lay out guidelines and criteria as to how we should tackle this problem.

"With this seemingly intractable problem in mind, the 12 independent commissioners set off to study seven big dam projects round the world - one of them, the Tucurui Dam in Brazil.

"The Amazon basin is one of the richest habitats on the planet. But in the 1970s, Brazil's planners dreamed of taming its wild rivers to feed insatiable demands from the country's power-hungry factories.

"The Tucurui Dam is huge. Completed in 1985, it generates all the electricity required by cities and industries across northern Brazil.

"But progress came at a price.

"The forty-thousand people displaced by rising waters upstream were not happy with the resettlement."

Joseil de Sa, Union Leader: "We were going to a meeting with our Union. It's the Union for the rural workers from the Tucurui.

"This one here had broken fingers and was pushed as they would push an animal. This other one here has been threatened with guns and they stuck the tip of the rifle into his back. This person here has broken bones now. And there is another one injured over there. In total it was about 10 people injured. And one was in a really bad state. We're are not sure what happened to him."

Comm: "There has been criticism that more effort was put into saving the wildlife than helping the people.

"The power company, ElectroNorte, had a different opinion."

Dr Humberto, Director General Tucurui Dam (1985): "Another very important benefit brought by Electronorte, was the possibility of making this area inhabited. When we first got here this area hardly had any agriculture or farming. Today we can see that this has taken place.

"All this has only been possible due to the implementation of new resources, planning and money invested by ElectroNorte.

"During the time of the Tucurui dam, around 100,000 people moved into this area.

"When the Tucurui Dam was first built, one of the biggest objections was that more than half the power generated was going directly to industrial complexes, particularly to aluminum smelters exporting abroad.

"Today though, a new phase of the Tucurui dam is in under construction. This will add 11 new generators...doubling the power output of the Tucurui Dam."

Comm: "4000 people are working on the construction of Phase II, and it is claimed that most of this additional energy will benefit Brazilian households, before the aluminum exporters.

"But local union leaders still aren't happy. Fifteen years after first documenting Tucurui, Earth Report caught up with a few of those still chasing compensation."

Joel Machado, Union President: "Up to today we've been fighting for these people's rights, but Electronorte does not want to face up to its responsibilities."

Esmael Siquera, Union Secretary: "Before they said that the water would not affect a lot of areas that were affected. We think that it is possible this will happen again.

"And there might be further problems. Phase II was approved before Brazil's tougher environmental legislation was phased in. So it doesn't have to take these new regulations into consideration."

Prof. Jose Goldemberg, WCD Commissioner: "95% of the electricity used in Brazil comes from hydroelectric sources.

"But in the future growth I think that people are going to pay more and more attention to alternatives. Which of course will reduce the need for hydroelectric power but still some people argue that burning gas will aggravate the problems of global warming. So it's a situation where it's difficult to win."

Comm: "If the secret is not to build dams that destroy local ecology or people's lives, then Norway, it seems, got it right. But even here, in a country where Hydro schemes generate 99.6 per cent of all power produced, they're now questioning whether big dams are really the answer.

"Norwegians consume more energy per capita than any other country on earth, about ten times the world average. Power is cheap thanks to numerous hydro-electric power projects.

"Norway is a big empty land of just a few million people, yet it ranks number six in the world league of big hydro producers."

"Earth Report traveled to the remote Glomma and Laagen basin. It was here that the World Commission on Dams set about examining the essential ingredients of a successful hydro-electric power project. The conclusion? Norway's natural water system helped, but it's democratic, transparent decision-making process meant that here, dams worked."

Trond Berge Larsen, Ministry of the Environment: "In Norway, we have a good framework I think when we talk about Hydropower and environment. And this framework consists of three parts. First we have the rules for the concession, for the licensing process I mean. And then we have a national plan for the protection of valuable rivers, and we have national plan for hydropower.

"This blueprint sets out who can build what, where and when. The aim is to minimise the impacts on people and their environment."

Dan Lundquist, Glomma and Lagen Water Management Association: "The Glomma and Laagen basin is a very large basin in the Norwegian context; it covers more than 40,000 square kilometres, which is about 10% of Norway.

"The river itself has two branches, the Glomma river and the Lagen river. In that river we have 26 different reservoirs of some magnitude. We also have some 40 different power stations."

Comm: "But with such a large number of hydropower projects throughout the basin, the World Commission on Dams wanted to know how the Norwegians had managed to avoid the large-scale disruption associated with big dam projects elsewhere in the world.

"For close to a century, the dams of the Glomma and Laagen basin have been built in remote locations, high in the mountainous wilderness of northern Norway.

"Instead of drowning vast tracts of land, the planners used existing natural lakes as their reservoirs. When dams were built, water levels rose a bit, but not enough to wreak environmental or social havoc.

"Despite this, however, the Commission did record cases of loss of habitat - which it said, was due to the dams."

Trond Berge Larsen: "You always have to balance. Because all projects has more or less damages.

Comm: "These negative consequences mostly involve nature conservation and fish.

"Half the population of Norway goes fishing at least once a year. It's the most popular form of outdoor recreation. The dams interfere with the migration of fish, so conserving fish stocks has become a key aspect important to dam planners.

"Today, the Dam Keeper is monitoring fish populations near his dam.

"As part of their conservation efforts, they have constructed fish ladders."

Dan Lundquisty: "Yeah, we got quite a lot of fish ladders here. To make it able for this fish to pass the dams because they usually can't jump some 10, 15, 20 meters in the air. So they have to have a fish ladder to walk through.

"And a fish ladder is like a staircase with water instead of solid stairs so they can jump from one stair to another to climb up and bypass the dam.

"Of the three fish caught temporarily in the dam keepers cage, two are identified as having come from the local fish hatchery.

"This concerted effort to carefully manage fish stocks stands out as one of the most effective measures taken in Norway to minimise the impact of its dams.

"Fortunately for the authorities in the Glomma and Laagen Basin, the well-being of local fish was about the biggest headache posed by the hydropower schemes. For once, there weren't any people to be moved."

Trond Berge Larsen: "In Norway we never have conflicts with people that have to move away, never. Because almost all the projects are in the high up country where no people are.

"If it wasn't for the well-publicised social fallout from big dam schemes elsewhere in the world, Norwegians would probably be content to carry on producing power as they have for the past 100 years. But as awareness of potential impact has grown among ordinary people here, so has the pressure to reassess the alternatives to new hydroelectric power generation.

"This last 20 years, I think that if a local community or a municipality is against the project, approval of the project will never be given. Up to now about 2/3rds of the places where you can put a power plant is already been used. And I think 1/5th is already protected of the sites due to this national protection plan. So there's not so much left."

Comm: "Now, this power-hungry nation has a problem. Hydroelectric power has given Norwegians cheap energy, this has led to excessive use, which has in turn led to a spiraling demand."

Dan Lundquist: "And who is going to make the decision that forces people to turn down the heat in their houses, to use less electrical equipment in their homes and so on. It's a very tough political decision. And I haven't seen no willingness to take that so far."

Comm: "So can the new generation of environmentally and globally conscious Norwegians be persuaded to cut back on their consumption of power? If they don't want more dams, will they want the alternatives? It's a question that Norway faces today, and the world might learn from watching what happens for sure as the turbines turn, it's a question that other countries - in Asia for instance - are also facing.

"Thailand. An aspiring Asian Tiger economy where dams have contributed to industrialisation and prosperity, but have also generated misery.

"Pak Mun is a big project in the northeastern province of Ubon Rachathani, a region largely bypassed by Thailand's rapid economic growth. The dam was designed to feed the fast expanding national power grid. But as the investigating team from the WCD found, this grand design did not take account of the impact the dam would have in the villages of Ubon itself.

"The World Bank, which has helped to bankroll the project, has come in for criticism in Thailand."

J. Shivakumer, Country Director, World Bank, Thailand: "The dam was completed in 1995, but right through the design and implementation stage and now subsequently, there has been controversy surrounding this dam."

Comm: "In the shadow of the dam itself, farmers, fishermen and their families, from all over the region, have set up a 'protest village'. Its residents belong to the Assembly of the Poor, a big national movement of ordinary people who feel badly let down by successive Thai governments."

Tong Charun Srihardama: "We unanimously agree to stay here permanently, do we? We have divided into many groups to share responsibilities. Assembly for the Poor. We've been protesting for such a long time. But we will fight on. We have concluded that we have lost our community, our nature, the environment and the livelihood. Look at the old person there. In the old days she would not have had to sit and fish for so long as she does today. Now they have to sit there forever. In those days they only had to come for a short while. Now it's almost not even worth the bait."

Comm: "The Mun River is a tributary of the mighty Mekong, which cuts through the heart of Indochina. Many of these tributaries, like the Mun, have now been dammed. It's badly disrupted the natural hydrology and it's also blocked fish from moving up or downstream. People here don't fish for fun - they fish to live. Or they used to.

"It's the height of the monsoon, and in the face of rising water levels, the floodgates have been opened by EGAT - the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand. It's the first time local fishermen have had their river back since the dam was built."

M.L. Chanphun Kridakorn, Deputy Governor: "With regard to the controversy on fishery and other aspects, the government paid a lot of compensation comparing to the other projects that I have experienced. For example, for the compensation and resettlement in order to improve the standard of living of the people who had affect from these projects, the government paid 500 million baht. Its equal to about 25 million US dollar."

Comm: "But the villagers didn't want the power companies flood money. They just wanted their lives back.

"In 1995, three thousand villagers were living in the Ubon protest village. As the years have gone by, their numbers have grown. They remain unhappy with the compensation and the limited dam gate openings.

"The government's shown little interest in coming to Ubon to address their problems, so they have now taken the problems to the government.

"More than 400 villagers have set up a makeshift encampment across the street from Government House in downtown Bangkok. They'll stay here, their leaders say, until the demands have been met."

Wanida Tantiwittayapitak, Assembly for the Poor: "The EGAT always claims it already paid all compensation to the villagers. Actually what the EGAT said is kind of cheating. What it paid for was villager's lands, homes and their properties that were affected by the floods. The villagers are demanding for other compensations for their occupations, their lifestyles along the moon river."

Comm: "As well as researching the opposition to Pak Mun, the World Commission on Dams wanted to know what benefits the Dam had brought to Thailand."

J. Shavikumer: "I think the Pak Mun Dam has contributed to power generation in Thailand. One should must also remember that its high growth rates that pulled a lot of Thai's out of poverty. So to the extent that power meant high growth, and high growth pulls people out of poverty, I think that Pak Mun has contributed to the development opportunities in Thailand."

Comm: "At the moment, the government of Thailand and the villagers of Ubon are at an impasse. So what will the future hold for Pak Mun and the villagers?"

J. Shavikumer: "Northern Thailand, North-eastern Thailand, the area we are talking about where the dam is located, bears twice the national average burden of poverty. And in a very poor area people depend very much on avocation like fisheries. So the broader solution to the problem is basically development of the area. More opportunities for poor people to participate in development.

"And something needs to be done urgently, to see that more people can earn their livelihoods off fisheries. And the way that can be done is to allow a framework for managing the fishery resources in such a way that fisherman and other poor people have a voice in the management. To bring in technologies that will increase the availability of fish, fisheries in the area. These are the things that need to be done. And we are quite willing to assist in anyway to promoting this route.

"I think this is far more productive than looking backwards and pointing fingers at the various parties concerned."

Judy Henderson, WCD Commissioner: "The WCD is a new unique process. I think it's the first time that such a diverse group of people have been brought around the table with the single purpose of trying to come to an agreement on such a contentious issue."

Comm: "In the final report, the commissioners emphasize the need to expand public participation in policymaking - especially when dealing with dams and development. The report notes that the thrust of recent protests against globalisation is the rising anger over lack of openness in global decision-making. And it's exactly the same issues - of transparency and accountability - which surround the Great Dam Debate. Every time a wall is built across a river, these issues must be addressed. Take heed the report warns, or be dammed."

Kader Asmal: "It's possible for people from very different backgrounds or have very little in agreement to work together for the greater good of humanity. So we address all the principal actors, directly to ensure that there is a follow up that they can embark on themselves."