The document discusses sustainability in hydropower development. It defines sustainability as meeting present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs. It notes that hydropower development can have negative impacts like environmental disruption and issues with displaced persons. The document advocates for a systematic management approach using a plan-do-check-act framework to integrate technical, environmental, social, and economic considerations into hydropower planning, mitigation, monitoring, and adaptive management to achieve sustainable outcomes. Key aspects that must be considered include stakeholder engagement, environmental and social impact assessments, health and safety protocols, land management, and ecosystem flows.

1. Sustainability in Hydropower
Development – “A myth or Reality”
By
Joseph Asiimwe
EO/HPDU-UEGCL, Uganda
26th Africa Hydro Symposium
22nd – 24th September 2014, Source of the Nile hotel, Jinja, Uganda
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2. Presentation Outline
1) Introduction
2) What is sustainability
3) Why sustainability
4) The approach to it
5) Key aspects to Consider
6) Conclusion
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3. 1. Introduction
• Nearly a third of
the world’s
population has no
access to
electricity.
• Developing Asia
and sub-Saharan
Africa continue to
account, together,
for more than 95%
of those without
modern energy
access (WEO, 2013)
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4. • Without concerted action
at least 3.5 billion people,
nearly 50% of the global
community will face water
scarcity by 2025.
• Fossil fuels - GHG
emissions that are leading
to climate change and
global warming.
• Promoting socio-economic
development and
eradicate poverty, whilst
simultaneously halting
environmental
degradation, is one of the
greatest challenge at the
start of the 21st century.
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5. Hydro power generation therefore remains
one of the best renewable options for
harnessing energy
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6. UG
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7. Sustainability
Society
2. What is sustainability
Sustainability is to "...meet the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs" (UNDP, 2003).
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Society

8. 3. The Issues – why we need
sustainability
Activities of Hydropower can be associated with
negative impacts;
• Alteration of river systems
• PAPs
• Delays
• Terrestrial disturbances
• Pollution
• Litigation
• Impacts on downstream operations/activities
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9. 4. A systematic management approach to
sustainability
Consider the PDCA approach
• Plan what is needed
• Determine goals and appropriate methods to use.
• Establish objectives and targets for each relevant activity.
• Identify activities/issues in the project, that could affect
sustainability(economic, social, and/or environmental issues)
• Identify, assess &evaluate potential hazards and risks associated
• Consider the legal & institutional frameworks (Permits, concerns
of employees & other stakeholders)
• Identify, document, and communicate actions necessary to
manage and control relevant activities,
• Resources
• Do it
– provision of adequate and suitable resources and competencies,
using operating processes, and monitoring and measuring
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10. • Check that it works
– Audits effectiveness in delivery of outputs,
achievement of objectives and targets.
– Evaluate results and apply performance
measurements.
– compliance with regulatory and legislative
requirements.
• Act to;
– correct any problems,
– fix their causes,
– improve performance
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11. 5. Key aspects to consider for
sustainability
• Political risk and regulator approvals
– Interviews with regulators
– Assessment of timelines for approvals
– Assessment of political stability
• Site selection and optimization
– Avoidance of exceptional environmental & cultural resources
– Minimum disturbance on existing features & infrastructure
– Maximise economic, social & environmental opportunities
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12. • ESIA process
– Adequacy of ToRs
– Identification of impacts
– Stakeholder consultations
– Recommended mitigation & compensation
• Severity of impacts
– Ecological footprint
» Energy output/Activities Vs Area affected
– Cumulative impacts
» New developments
» Un regulated river systems
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13. • Community acceptance
– Identify relevant stakeholders
– Conduct consultations
– Stakeholder input and feedback
– Community dev’t initiatives
• Enhance PAPs
– Involvement of local leadership & opinion
leaders
– Appropriate identification of PAPs
– Compensation
– Livelihood enhancement
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14. • Health &Safety
– Adherence to national &
international standards
– Risk assessment/inspections
– Safety training/education
– Public health mgt
plans/community health
• Construction activities
– Adequacy of ESMPs
– Impact of associated
infrastructure dev’ts
– Environmental disturbances (e.g
slope stabilization)
– Changes to the affected
community
– Emergency preparedness issues
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15. • Land management &
rehabilitation
• Catchment mgt
• Designs for sedimentation &
erosion control
– Specific operational rules
• land restoration &
rehabilitation plans
• Mgt of terrestrial habitats
• Weed/species invasion
• Aquatic biodiversity
• Fish passages
• Invasive species
• Water quality assessments
• Biological monitoring plan
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16. • Eco flows and reservoir mgt
• Documented baselines
» River crossectional studies
» Biodiversity studies
• Level of stakeholder involvement
• Level of regulator support
• Degree of integrating the
environmental flow in
infrastructure design, operations
management and economic
analyses
• Degree to which the monitoring
and adaptive management
program is adequately resourced
and likely to achieve desired
outcomes
– Catchment mgt program
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17. 5. Conclusion
• Sustainability in Hydro power developments is
indeed achievable BUT requires sound planning,
investigation, sitting, design, mitigation,
monitoring and adaptive management
• The inter linkages with technical, Environmental,
social and economic aspects of sustainable
hydropower must also be well understood.
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18. References
• http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/resource
s/energydevelopment/energyaccessdatabase/
• UNDP, (2003). Human Development Report
2003. Millennium Development Goals: A
compact among nations to end human
poverty. Oxford University Press, New York.
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19. Shalom
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