Question

What is a dam? Why do we seek to build large dams ? While building dams which three main problems should be addressed to maintain peace among people ?

Answer 1

A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aquaculture, and navigability. Hydropower is often used in conjunction with dams to generate electricity. A dam can also be used to collect water or for storage of water which can be evenly distributed between locations. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees (also known as dikes) are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions.

1 Store large quantity of water for irrigation and electricity generation.

2 Transfer water to different locations in adequate quantities.

3 Allow equitable distribution of water because people near the source grow water intensive crops like sugar crane and rice while people farther down stream do not get any water.

Construction of large dams causes:

1 Social problem of displacement of large number of peasants and tribals,without rehabilitation and adequate compensation.

2 Economic problem of expenditure of huge amounts of public money without the generation of proportionate benefits.

3 Environmental problems of deforestation and loss of bio diversity.