Raising Warragamba Dam wall flouts Australia’s world heritage obligations, scientists warn

A worker monitors the spillway outflow of Warragamba Dam in Sydney in November. The NSW government wants to raise the dam wall by up to 17 metres. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/EPA

The New South Wales government’s proposal to raise the wall of the Warragamba Dam could result in complete inundation of some cultural sites and is at odds with Australia’s obligations under the world heritage convention, scientific advisers have warned.

In a letter to the federal government, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – which provides advice to Unesco’s World Heritage Centre – said the project “appears to be inappropriate in relation to the requirements of the world heritage convention”.