Pros and Cons of Dams

Posted on | By Jay Solanki > Expert Content Writer

A dam is an engineering effort built over a river to hold water on its upstream side. It is the placement of an impervious or largely impervious barrier over a natural stream in order to create a reservoir. The pros of dams of water supply, irrigation systems, flood control, Hydraulic generation, navigation, Recreation, Hold extra water. The cons of Dams are it is Water quality, Drought downstream, High upfront costs, and Safety issues. Some advantages and disadvantages of Dams are discussed below. So let us check out the advantages and disadvantages of the Dams to know more about the Dams. 

Pros of Dams | Advantages of Dams

  • Dams prevent flooding by storing the water from rivers and streams that are flowing at full capacity during times of rainfall and snowmelt.
  • Dams are the only way to stop water from wasting because they collect additional water from streams and rivers and store it.
  • Land reclamation uses dams.
  • The agricultural lands were supplied with the water that was kept in the dams to irrigate the plants.
  • Dams provide drinking water to both urban and rural people. Dams also provide water for use in industry and other domestic uses.
  • Reservoirs built by dams frequently provide boating, fishing, and swimming opportunities, which can increase tourist and local economies.
  • Hydroelectric power plants use dams to generate electricity.
  • Dams can help with inland navigation by controlling river water levels and enabling the movement of cargo on ships and barges.
  • Dams provide stored water when it is needed.
  • Dams offer boating and fishing recreation areas.
  • Dams offer a consistent source of fresh water for industrial, agricultural, and drinking needs.
  • Dams provide water for domestic and commercial purposes.
  • Dams add humidity to the air, which helps to maintain a comfortable climate.
  • Fish and other aquatic food can be found in abundance around dams.
  • During times of heavy rainfall, dams can hold extra water and release it gradually, lowering the risk of flooding downstream and safeguarding communities.
  • Dams can hold water for irrigation systems in agriculture, boosting crop yields and helping to provide food security in many places.

Cons of Dams | Disadvantages of Dams

  • People may be forced to change their environment and relocate as a result of the threat of flooding that dams pose.
  • Communities are frequently forced to be relocated in order to build major dams, which causes social and cultural disturbance for those impacted.
  • Dams prevent material from flowing downstream. Which over time reduces the fertility of the soils downstream, erodes the coasts, and reduces reservoir storage capacity.
  • The dams are extremely expensive to build. Poor countries are unable to build as many dams as necessary to supply the demand for energy and irrigation water.
  • Dams can significantly harm ecosystems, which has an adverse influence on the environment. They can cause species extinction or a fall in population by changing a river’s natural flow and disrupting its aquatic ecosystems.
  • Dams are built with a certain amount of water storage capacity in mind, but during periods of severe rainfall, they get completely filled with water exceeding their storage capacity.
  • Dams may lead to conflict when there is a drought. While dams are designed to store water, people in some locations still need access to it.
  • Dams are a potential political instrument, Dam development may cause a rise in provincialism.
  • Many ecosystems are killed when water is blocked off behind a dam. The bodies of living things are then broken down by bacteria, producing a lot of carbon dioxide and methane gas in the process.
  • Dams  are popula toirust destinations. They could drown in the water as a result of carelessness.
  • An increase in the number of algae may result from slowed water movement.
  • Dams led to deforestation because they enclose such a big area.
  • Issues with water quality, such as the accumulation of contaminants and the development of toxic algae blooms, can be brought on by stagnant water in reservoirs.
  • Dams require significant, prompt maintenance and adjusting, which could be expensive.
  • If dams are not adequately maintained, there may be safety issues.
  • Dam construction takes a long period. Building a dam requires a few o years.
  • To control the flow of water from the dam, skilled and knowledgeable personnel are required.
  • The dam sedimentation patterns have changed. According to sedimentation patterns, it is necessary to both eject and oppose silt ejection.
  • Building and maintaining dams requires a substantial initial expenditure, which can put a burden on public budgets.
  • Downstream regions occasionally experience reduced water flow during droughts.

Thank you for reading this article. If you have any queries regarding our article on the Dams pros and cons of then do comment in the comment section below.

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Jay Solanki > Expert Content Writer
Jay Solanki > Expert Content Writer
Jay Solanki is an expert writer with 8+ years of experience as a content writer. They specialize in making complex topics like insurance and technology easy to understand. Jay has written over thousands of articles to help people become confident about technology knowledge. Prior to joining Way2benefits’s editorial team in 2020, Jay worked as a Digital Marketing Expert and user experience researcher, producing content for US based firms.

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