The problems with dams

What's wrong with dams?

Dams kill rivers.

Dams can have devastating effects on rivers and freshwater ecosystems. Only very few of the worlds rivers now run uninterrupted from their source to the sea.

Fragmentation of rivers affects the migration of fish, disrupts the transport of sediments, cuts off the floodplains from life giving floods and threatens many endangered species, including the last populations of river dolphins. Environmental problems extend throughout the river basin.

..destroy livelihoods
The devastation of freshwater ecosystems directly affects the livelihoods of millions of people who live downstream of dams, especially in developing countries. And this is in addition to the large numbers of people that have to make way for the reservoirs.

and cost a great deal of money
Finally, dams are expensive and the projected financial costs are often inaccurate. The World Commission on Dams found that, on average, large dams go over budget by 56%. And since these days most of the world's dams are being built in developing countries, it is even more important that a project makes economic sense. Countries in poverty simply cannot afford to pay for mistakes.