Reforming Benefit-Sharing Mechanisms for Displaced Populations: Evidence from the Ghazi Barotha Hydropower Project, Pakistan

Abstract The concept of benefit-sharing has popular focus in numerous discussions concerning approaches with displacement, development, and sustainable livelihood. It is clear that compensation is inadequate to mitigate impoverishment risks and re-build improved sustainable livelihoods. Benefit-sharing is seen to be a vital option for the improvement and development of re-settler’s livelihoods. Subsequently, this study aims to provide evidence of the present state of policy, benefit-sharing mechanism practices, and approaches in the hydropower sector of Pakistan. The benefit-sharing mechanism is present in some form but it needs new endoresements and reforms within the national resettlement framework of Pakistan. The target case in this study is to investigate the implementation level of benefit-sharing mechanisms in the Ghazi Barotha Hydropower project. It shows an example of some necessary elements of benefit-sharing and has provided a possible solution for solving the dilemma of compensation-based resettlement in Pakistan.