1.1 Pur pose of these guidelines
The Inter national Hydr opo wer Association(I HA)has pr oduced t hese guidelines to pro mote greater consideration of envir on mental,social and econo mic aspects in the sustainability assess ment of new hydro pr ojects and t he management and operation of existing power schemes.Thorough sustainability assessments should ensure that detri mental social and envir on mental i mpacts are avoided,mitigated or co mpensated and positive outco mes are maxi mised.Of necessity,the principles are generic since each particular power scheme and develop ment project will have its own unique set of circu mstances influenced by scale,geographic location,social,legal and political constr ucts.The guidelines will need to be adapted to the specific context of each particular project.
The principles outlined in t his docu ment span t he f ollowing six elements.Supporting co mment provides f urther guidance where necessary:
I HA policy
The role of govern ments
Decision making pr ocesses(https://www.daowen.com)
Hydropower-environ mental aspects of sustainability
Hydr opower-social aspects of sustainability
Hydropower-economic aspects of sustainability
The principles have been drafted to assist hydropower developers and operators wit h the evaluation and management of often co mpeting environ mental,social and economic issues that arise in the assess ment,operation and management of hydropower pr ojects.