Milestone... or a millstone?

Commentary on the final report of the World Commission on Dams (WCD) that looks at benefits versus environmental impacts of dams.

No matter how much one knows about dams, one cannot keep his assumptions intact after reading the final report of the World Commission on Dams (WCD). The chairman of WCD believes so. The question is that whether the commission's report be a milestone for dams or a millstone around the industry's neck? The basis of the report is a human-centred approach, achieved through effective decision making. 19% of the electricity comes from hydro power. Dams support more than 30-40% of irrigate land. 75 countries use dams for flood control. These are the few benefits of dams. The environmental impacts are that 33% of freshwater species are endangered and 50% of the wetlands are lost.