IMPACTS OF DAM

BY:
SHOBHIT KUMAR
ROHIT KUMAR &
KRISHNA NAND YADAV

What is the function

of a Dam/Reservoir?
Reservoirs provide a means of regulating
downstream surface water flows over
space and time by altering the natural
spatial and temporal distributions of
stream flows

Why Build Dams?

TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF
HUMAN LIFE BY PROVIDING

Irrigation

Recreation

hydropower

Flood control

Water for Domestic and industrial use

Inland navigation

WATER FOR DOMESTIC AND INDUSTRIAL USE

. Due to large variations in hydrological cycle, dams and reservoirs

are required to be constructed to store water during periods of
surplus water availability and conserve the same for utilization
during lean periods when the water availability is scarce.

Properly designed and well-constructed dams play a great role in

optimally meeting the drinking water requirements of the people.

Water stored in reservoirs is also used vastly for meeting industrial

needs.

Regulated flow of water from reservoirs help in diluting harmful

dissolved substances in river waters during lean periods by
supplementing low inflows and thus in maintaining and preserving
quality of water within safe limits

HYDRO
POWER

Energy plays a key role for socio-economic development of a

country. Hydro power provides a cheap, clean and renewable
source of energy.

Hydro power is the most advanced and economically viable

resource of renewable energy.

Reservoir based hydroelectric projects provide much needed

peaking power to the grid.

Unlike thermal power stations, hydro power stations have fewer

technical constraints and the hydro machines are capable of
quick start and taking instantaneous load variations.

IRRIGATION

Dams and reservoirs are constructed to store surplus waters during wet
periods, which can be used for irrigating arid lands. One of the major
benefits of dams and reservoirs is that water flows can be regulated as per
agricultural requirements of the various regions over the year.

Dams and reservoirs render unforgettable services to the mankind for

meeting irrigation requirements on a gigantic scale.

Dams and reservoirs are most needed for meeting irrigation requirements
of developing countries, large parts of which are arid zones.

There is a need for construction of more reservoir based projects despite

widespread measures developed to conserve water through other
improvements in irrigation technology.

RECREATION

The reservoir made possible by constructing a dam

presents a beautiful view of a lake. In the areas where
natural surface water is scarce or non-existent, the
reservoirs are a great source of recreation.

Along with other objectives, recreational benefits such as

boating, swimming, fishing etc. linked with lakes are also
given due consideration at the planning stage to achieve
all the benefits of an ideal multipurpose project.

INLAND NAVIGATION

Natural river conditions, such as changes in the flow rate and

river level, ice and changing river channels due to erosion
and sedimentation, create major problems and obstacles for
inland navigation.

The advantages of inland navigation, however, when

compared with highway and rail are the large load carrying
capacity of each barge, the ability to handle cargo with largedimensions and fuel savings.

Enhanced inland navigation is a result of comprehensive

basin planning and development utilizing dams, locks and
reservoirs which are regulated to provide a vital role in
realizing regional and national economic benefits.

ENVIRONMENTAL
ISSUES
Dams change the chemical, physical and biological
processes of river ecosystems. They alter free-flowing
systems by reducing river levels and downstream
ecosystems, blocking the flow of nutrients, changing
water temperature and oxygen levels, and impeding or
preventing fish and wildlife migration.

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF DAMS

Cuts off water from floodplains and wetlands that are habitats to
fish, birds and other species.
Cuts off migration of fish, even with fish ladders
Interrupt natural high-low flow patterns that many species need
for normal reproduction cycles
Cuts off sediment flow to down stream, Habitats; clear water
further scours in-place sediments
Reduces fresh water supplies to estuaries and costal areas, often
destroying fish industries
Promotes reproduction of mosquitos and other diseaseproducing organisms.

Reservoirs trap nutrient-ladened sediments which

accelerates cycle of eutrophication (O 2 depletion); lower
layers of water often lack DO.

Methane production due to decaying biomass is high in

tropical reservoirs; this greenhouse gas is worse than co
2and counters the greenhouse gas savings of hydropower.

Releases from lower levels of reservoir alter temperature

and do levels of river (affect waters ability capacity to
process waste)

Construction of dams and associated transmission lines

and roads often destroy pristine wilderness

WATER LOST TO EVAPORATION AND

SEEPAGE
Large reservoirs, especially in arid regions, can lose
significant water to evaporation.
Reservoirs in porous formations can lose significant
volume to seepage.

DAMS CAN BE UNSAFE: CAUSES OF FAILURE

Overtopping caused by floods that exceed the capacity of

the dam.

Deliberate acts of sabotage.

Structural failure of materials used in dam construction.

Movement and/or failure of the foundation supporting the

dam.

Settlement and cracking of concrete or embankment

dams.

Piping and internal erosion of soil in embankment dams.

Inadequate maintenance and upkeep.

Dam failures have killed thousands and cost

billions

Human Impacts of Dams

DISPLACEMENT:-

Large dams have forced some 40-80

million people from their lands in the
past six decades, according to the world
commission on dams. Indigenous, tribal,
and peasant communities have been
particularly hard hit. These legions of
dam refugees have, in the great majority
of cases, been economically, culturally
and psychologically devastated.

CHANGE CLIMATE:
The change in climate, water, food and sanitary conditions, etc. Can
affect the health of displaced persons. In the case of the pong, bhakra
and Pandoh dams, people living in the hills of Himachal Pradesh were
to be relocated to the Rajasthan desert. Similarly, people displaced by
the Tehri dam have been shifted from the hills of Garhwal to the hot
plains of Uttar Pradesh

LOSS OF HOME:
The forced abandonment of ones ancestral home is always traumatic
and cannot be fully compensated for by a new house. In only five of
the projects studied was it proposed to provide a replacement house.

LOSS OF COMMON PROPERTY RESOURCES:

Rarely

are attempts made to compensate for the loss of

common property resources. Most displaced populations
rely on free access to water, grasslands, forests, wetlands,
riverbed land, fish, etc. They derive their income and
subsistence from a host of natural resources, many of which
may be unavailable at the rehabilitation site.
CONFLICTS WITH HOST COMMUNITIES:
Rehabilitation sites usually come up near existing
settlements, causing tensions and conflicts between the
host community and the displaced persons.

LOSS OF CULTURAL SITES:

Displacement causes psychological trauma due to the severing of
cultural and religious links with ancestral surrounds .
DHARI DEVI TEMPLE IN SRINAGAR GARHWAL

BEFORE

NOW

CONCLUSION
A billion people world wide do not have clean drinking water
Most new agricultural development needs irrigation
Approx. 2 billion people have no electricity
The developing world is intent on continuing to build large
dams

As engineers, we want to be aware of all the issues and to be

prepared to perform thorough technical analysis and sound
designs.

There should be effective monitoring of various rehabilitation

programmes initiated to provide relief to the displaced people

THANK YOU