People and Water, Slovakia

Organization: People and Water
Project Leader: Michal Kravcik
Geographic Area: Eastern Europe
Link: http://www.peopleandwater.sk

Over the last five decades, Slovakian dams destroyed over 200 kilometers of river systems and forced the relocation of 100,000 people. In 1992, the government, early in its shift away from authoritarian rule, planned to build yet another dam at Tichy Potok. The project would have substantially changed the region's ecosystem and uprooted four 700-year old villages.

In response, Michal Kravcik, an Ashoka Fellow, put forward an alternative strategy of small dams and reservoirs customized for the region's topography that served human needs while protecting wetlands and natural watercourses. The villagers quickly backed this smaller scale strategy-thereby making an independent decision about land for the first time in 50 years.

His group, People and Water, then encouraged Slovakians to take advantage of their newly-minted democracy by organizing town meetings where citizens questioned officials about the legality of the plan. In November 1996, the Environmental Ministry cancelled the dam proposal. The future of participatory decision-making in Slovakia seemed bright.

But this victory was fleeting. Though Michal's policy was feasible and cost-effective, the national government, still smarting over its introduction to democracy at Tichy Potok, played hardball. Funding for schools and public transportation in "rebel" local governments who supported Michal's plans was withheld. People and Water was fined for undertaking pilot projects. Michal found himself threatened with imprisonment.

Bruised from bumping up against these governance barriers, Michal shifted his focus upstream – to improving the effectiveness of civic participation. He started a new effort to conduct comprehensive needs assessments and resource mappings designed to help communities make more informed development decisions.

While grasping direct impact working further upstream is often difficult, Michal's work is starting to pay dividends. Governments in Tichy Potok are now backing a revitalization of water resources along the lines People and Water had originally advanced as financial incentives (driven by cities in need of clean and steady supplies) develop.