Activities of Nirj DEVA related to 2010/2270(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Dam infrastructure in developing countries (short presentation)
Reports (1)
REPORT on financing of reinforcement of dam infrastructure in developing countries PDF (160 KB) DOC (87 KB)
Amendments (8)
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Further notes that owing to the documented acceleration of glacial melting, especially prevalent in the Himalayas and the Andes, mountainous regions are increasingly at threat from floods and avalanches;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Points out that glacial retreat causes naturally occurring glacial lakes to expand rapidly to a point where they risk bursting as glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs); welcomes the priority that the South Asia programme of the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, in partnership with the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction has given to the issue of GLOFs;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses that the identified glacial lakes in the Himalayas span eight countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan – and that in the last 50 years there have been 20 identified flash floods in the region, many trans-border in nature, caused by glacial dams bursting; points out that knowledge concerning previous GLOFs is far from complete and that, due to the remote nature of glacial dams there is little reliable documentation as to their frequency, severity or points of origin aside from eyewitness accounts; states that it is clear that the EU must urgently move to alleviate the obvious knowledge gap concerning this problem;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Stresses that major infrastructure facilities, vital to promoting the EU's policy objectives of sustainable development and enhanced food security in accordance with the Millennium Development Goals, are increasingly at risk from the effects of flooding, and must be safeguarded; further stresses that hydropower plants, often essential to LDCs' energy resources are also particularly at risk from flash floods and avalanches;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls upon the EU to promote existing technology that drastically reduces black carbon emissions, already proven to have been effective in Developed Countries where emissions from fossil fuel sources have dropped by more than a factor of 5 since 1950; further urges that regulations banning slash-and-burn tactics in forests, enforcing stringent and regular vehicle emissions tests, limiting biomass burning and monitoring the annual emissions of power plants must be supported and encouraged; if they are to prove effective in promoting climate mitigation and subsequently disaster prevention;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls upon the EU, given the trans- boundary nature of GLOFs, to foster inter- country dialogues with a view to developing policies that deal with natural disasters and to encourage the appropriate investments to protect the countries of the Hindu Kush-Himalayas region from flooding; urges recognition of the fact that this is not an issue faced by one country but by many and as such calls for a multilateral approach in its resolution;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Recommends the formation as a matter of urgency of a cross-border agency, established under the auspices of the United Nations, with the express purpose of sharing available data, addressing the problems and causes of trans-boundary water-related hazards and proposing appropriate adaptation and mitigation measures; urges that without such an adjudicating agency at the helm, critical negotiations on flood prevention and alleviation may prove insurmountable between conflicting countries; emphasises that glacial regions, so often the source of flood events, are considered to be points of strategic importance, forming boundaries between nations, and as such the affected parties might prove reticent in sharing vital information;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Further suggests that dam projects could easily be implemented as so-called ‘fast-win’ projects provided that a number of social, economic and environmental criteria are met; proposes that accompanying early warning systems would prove invaluable in giving people critical time to respond or evacuate from affected areas and greatly reduce the potential loss of life;