Just how much methane is released is a matter of great conjecture, so the Commission will examine very closely the science underlying this issue. WCD Senior Advisors Bruce Aylward and Sanjeev Khagram are the WCD focal points for the Tucuru case study. Background To The WCD Process D ams are a central, flashpoint issue in the sustainable management of our finite water resources. Those resources are subject to increasingly competitive demands as global population growth exacerbates tensions over the water needed to produce energy and to ensure food security. The potential for regional conflict over water resources is very real.
Dams can provide hydropower, irrigation and flood control.
These are developmental benefits, but there are also costs in human, environmental and economic terms. The public debate on large dams has been characterised by the increasingly adversarial tone adopted by dam advocates and opponents. The breakdown in constructive dialogue between interested parties in the dams debate has had ramifications in areas ranging from the achievement of civil society consensus on sustainable development, to the availability of financing for dams and their alternatives. The Chair is Prof. Kader Asmal, South Africa's Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry. The Commission Secretariat was established in Cape Town, South Africa in June 1998 and consists of an international team of professionals expert in conflict resolution, the environment, sociology, anthropology, engineering, economics, and water and energy management.