Introduction

In my Watson year, I will travel to areas with dam projects in different stages of development: the Río Samana in Colombia and the Vjosa River in Albania where major dams are proposed, Ecuador where dams are stalled on the Río Jondachi, and Uganda where the Nile River is currently being dammed.

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My overarching goal is to listen and learn through informal interviews with a wide range of stakeholders to broaden my perspective. I hope to immerse myself in the communities I visit. I will find home stays to further help me more directly connect with the issues and the people. I want to demonstrate in some tangible way that I care about people’s opinions, am more than a totally random outsider, and truly appreciate their willingness to talk with me.

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Rivers play many roles in human lives: homes, transportation, sources of natural resources, important ecosystems, and places for recreation, roles which often come into conflict. Dams exemplify the tensions often surrounding river issues. The United States is removing dams just as new dam projects are being proposed around the world. Hydroelectric projects provide alternative, green energy to offset environmental impacts of other energy sources, but flood huge areas of essential habitat. Countries look to hydroelectric projects for economic development and progress, but dams flood villages causing serious human injustices.

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