Overview: Livelihood Re-Establishment After Resettlement due to Dam Construction

Abstract

This special issue features case studies carried out in Indonesia, Japan, and Sri Lanka, in which at least one of the following issues was observed and studied: (a) long-term (a few to several decades) implications of resettlement on livelihood re-establishment, (b) resettlement from rural areas with agriculture- or forestry-based economies to cities, and (c) gender issues associated with resettlement and livelihood re-establishment. These case studies were conducted for the purpose of examining how the planning and operation of the resettlement process affected residents reconstructing their livelihood. We conclude that there is still room for improvement in how compensation for resettlers and their livelihood re-establishment should be addressed by dam developers. We found that very limited attention has been paid to the gender issue in designing and implementing compensation packages for resettlers. And we also note that resettlers are not the only populations that need to be cared for. Dam construction also has an impact on non-resettlers in the project command area whose assets are not submerged. Their livelihood tends to be worse off after completion of a dam and reservoir. Infrastructure development in the project command area, particularly improvement of traffic systems, should be undertaken both for non-resettlers and resettlers who need or decide to live in the same area as before the construction.