a) Highlight some of the potential environmental and social consequences that can result from the construction of large dams? b) Suggest why many large dams do not achieve their initial objectives.
The construction of large dams to create storage has traditionally been preferred response to increasing demands for water. However, the construction of large dams may come at a large social and environmental cost and the dams themselves may not fully achieve their objectives.
a) Highlight some of the potential environmental and social consequences that can result from the construction of large dams?
b) Suggest why many large dams do not achieve their initial objectives.
Environmental and social consequences that can result from the construction of large dams.
As the dam construction is proposed it poses threat to the land area which gets covered by water that the dam stores. The main social consequence which results from the construction of large dams is the displacement of a large human population because the water covers the land area which may be occupied by the populace. Further, the environmental consequence which may arise is that the creation of imbalance due to the extinguishing of the flora and fauna which come under the capacity contours of the stored water. It further poses threat to the existing soil formations, because the exposure of existing soils to the dam water may lead to landslides and disturbance in the environment. It can be highlighted that the construction of a huge dam may cause the following environmental and social consequences.
- Exodus
- Disturbance in the natural habitat (Flora and fauna)
- May cause landslides
- Abrupt increase in the level of groundwater table
- Unnecessary saturation of soil
- Deforestation
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