Question.
Give reasons why environmental aspects must be carefully looked into before building huge dams.
( Chapter - 3 Mineral and Power Resources, Cass 8 NCERT Resources and Development ( Geography) )
Answer.
Huge dams are built to collect rainwater for hydel power generation, irrigation, drinking water, water navigation, fishing, and flood control. Huge dams are built mainly for electricity generation. Although hydel energy is considered a cheap and clean source of energy and one-fourth of the total energy generation of the world comes from hydel energy, it causes much environmental damage.
Environmental aspects must be carefully looked into before building a huge dam because of the following reasons:
Building huge dams cause large-scale submergence of land especially hilly areas that are thickly forested and rich in wildlife. So, wide destruction of natural vegetation and wildlife happens due to the submergence of land led by building huge dams.
Huge dams are major sources of hotspots of emission of methane greenhouse. When the submerged forest decomposes with the absence of oxygen in deep water, it emits methane greenhouses gas. Rihand dam and Hirakund dam are hotspots of methane emission in India.
Building huge dams are often prone to natural disaster like an earthquake. If the dam bursts, it is prone to flood in downstream areas.
Dam water also disturbs the natural movement of wildlife and also causes the fragmentation of the natural habitat of wildlife which causes a reduction of the population of fauna.
Building huge dams have major environmental consequences, so environmental aspects must be carefully looked into before building huge dams.
You may like also:
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon