Context, contingencies, and configurations: Exploring the revival of mega dams in Nepal

Keywords: hydropower, Nepal, Himalayas, mega dams
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Saturday
Session Start / End Time: 2/26/2022 09:40 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/26/2022 11:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 19

Abstract

The end of the 20th century was marked by a significant reduction in funding for, and acceptance of mega-dams, as a result of increased scrutiny on its socio-environmental impacts. Despite the evidence of rising costs, large dams are back on the agenda of international donor agencies and governments in the Global South. To contribute to the understanding of the return of ‘faith’ in large hydraulic infrastructure, particularly in relation to dams that were previously halted or suspended due to social and environmental contestation, I explore the case of the Arun-III hydropower project in Nepal, which has been revived after more than a decade-long suspension. I show that the resurgence of previously abandoned mega-dams is reflective of a new techno-political regime, which comprises an expanding base of ‘new’ actors, visions, discursive rationalities, and practices that operate across multiple spatialities and are shaped by historic events and changing (geo)political-economic conditions. Further, I argue that the emergence of this new regime has produced new levels of complexity and interdependencies in the governance of energy systems, making it difficult for affected persons and activists to contest dams in the new century.