Advantages and disadvantages of dams.
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Advantages and disadvantages of dams.
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Answer:
Explanation:Advantages :
1}These are the main source of power generation.
2}These projects control the floods because water can be stored in them. These projects have converted many, 'rivers of sorrows' into 'rivers of boon'.
3}Thes projects are the main source of irrigation and also help in conserving soil.
Disadvantages:
1}Dams also fragment rivers making it difficult for aquatic fauna to migrate for spawning, i.e , to produce eggs.
2}It resulted in displacement of local communities.
3}The multipurpose projects induced earthquake, caused waterborne diseases......
Explanation:
Advantages:
Recreation
Dams provide prime recreational facilities throughout the United States. Boating, skiing, camping, picnic areas, and boat launch facilities are all supported by dams.
Flood Control
In addition to helping farmers, dams help prevent the loss of life and property caused by flooding. Flood control dams impound floodwaters and then either release them under control to the river below the dam or store or divert the water for other uses. For centuries, people have built dams to help control devastating floods.
Water Storage (Fire & Farm Ponds)
Dams create reservoirs throughout the United States that supply water for many uses, including industrial, municipal, and agricultural.
Irrigation
Ten percent of American cropland is irrigated using water stored behind dams. Thousands of jobs are tied to producing crops grown with irrigated water.
Mine Tailings
There are more than 1,300 mine tailings impoundments in the United States that allow the mining and processing of coal and other vital minerals while protecting the environment.
Electrical Generation
The United States is one of the largest producers of hydropower in the world, second only to Canada. Dams produce over 103,800 megawatts of renewable electricity and meet 8 to 12 percent of the Nation's power needs. Hydropower is considered clean because it does not contribute to global warming, air pollution, acid rain, or ozone depletion.
Debris Control
In some instances, dams provide enhanced environmental protection, such as the retention of hazardous materials and detrimental sedimentation.
Navigation
Dams and locks provide for a stable system of inland river transportation throughout the heartland of the Nation.
Disadvantages:
1) Dams tend to be extremely expensive to build and when a decision is taken to build one anyway, it must adhere to a very high standard.
2) And other point to be kept in mind is that since the cost is so high for dam construction, it goes to mean that they must operate for many decades to become profitable enough.
3) You must have heard of the rare flooding related to big dams. But this flooding of large areas of land means that the natural environment is destroyed.
4) Relocation is another big concern. People living in villages and towns that are in the valley that could be flooded, must move out. Hence, they lose their farms and businesses. In some countries, people are forcibly removed so that hydro-power plant constructions can go ahead. This happens to be an ethical concern.
5) The building of large dams can cause serious geological damage, for instance, the building of the Hoover Dam in the USA triggered a number of earth quakes and has depressed the earth’s surface at its location. This is an alarming matter.
6) However, modern planning and design of dams have also reduced the possibility of certain disasters occurring.