WORLD BANK FLOORED
Following recent disclosures of its newly established projects inspection panel (Down To Earth, November 15, 1994), the World Bank is on the mat again. The panel, established in November 1994 on the insistence of 4 Nepalese NGOs, maintains that Nepal's proposed Arun III dam involves "apparent violations of policy that require further investigation".
Ernst-Gunther Broder, chairman of the inspection panel, says that information discloses that environmental and social impacts and resettlement issues need to be considered adequately before the project starts. An exhaustive study of alternatives to tackle the dam's negative impacts should also be conducted without delay, he insists.