I know that alternatives to big dams are micro-hydroprojects that work with things on a smaller scale. But why are they more sustainable and more appropriate technology?
Think of this in terms of where the costs come from and where do the benefits of the project go? For a mega-dam project, the local area is flooded and the ecology altered. Most of the benefits of the dam in terms of energy production will go distant cities as they can afford to pay the enormous costs of construction. Small scale projects can be afforded by local communities, and are also appropriate because they don’t drastically alter the local ecology or displace local people. “The main reason for opposition worldwide are the huge numbers of people evicted from their lands and homes to make way for reservoirs. The livelihoods of many millions of people also suffer because of the downstream effects of dams: the loss of fisheries, contaminated water, decreased amounts of water, and a reduction in the fertility of farmlands and forests due to the loss of natural fertilizers and irrigation in seasonal floods. Dams also spread waterborne diseases such as malaria, leishmaniasis and schisto
Related Questions
- I know that alternatives to big dams are micro-hydroprojects that work with things on a smaller scale. But why are they more sustainable and more appropriate technology?
- What are the alternatives to large dams? Smaller or bigger projects for instance?
- Aside from smaller dams, what are alternatives to big dams?
