Question

explain the ecological problems being faced due to multipurpose river valley projects

Answer 1

Dear Student,

Dams and multipurpose water reservoirs are used to supply water, Generate hydroelectric power and supply water for irrigation. However, adverse environmental and sociological impact is rising due to the increasing number and size of these river projects to meet the demand for water and energy.

• The increasing size of the reservoirs is increasing the risk of earthquakes as they are submerging the forest land. These projects devastate biodiversity by disrupting the fisheries and inundating thousands of acres of forests and agricultural land.
• They degrade the fertile agricultural soils due to continuous irrigation, also resulting in salinization making the soil toxic and damaging the plant and plant species.
• Due to the rise of the size of these projects there is an increase in mosquitoes hence resulting in spread of insect-borne diseases.
• Multipurpose river projects affect environment as they lead to the displacement of human, plants, animals. Tribal communities are most hit by them. Most of the landless people like tribal etc. since traditions cultivate rice, fruit and vegetables on the banks the river during the dry months. due to the release water in and from the reservoir, resulting in sudden increase or decrease of water level, these families have lost one of the most curtail way to earn their livelihood.