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TAMING THE WATERS


source: www.panda.org/downloads/
freshwater/WETTHREATSENG.doc

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artificial water storage

With current water shortages and a growing unpredictability of water availability, dams are also now increasingly being built to guarantee domestic water and urban requirements…
  • since the first mud and stone dam was built on the Nile some 5,000 years ago, the actual size of dams as well as the areas of impounded water has increased dramatically;


  • there are currently more than 45,000 dams in the world, which withdraw around 3,800 km3 of fresh water annually from the world’s rivers, lakes and aquifers;


  • hold water reservoirs cover an area larger than Belgium and Germany together;


  • almost 50% of the world's dams are built for irrigation and another 20% for electricity.
Many concerns have been expressed over these structures:
  • building a dam may contribute to economic and social destruction, or loss of biodiversity. Every artificial water storage scheme will interrupt the natural flow of a river. The extent of any damage on the surrounding ecosystems will depend on the location and size of the scheme.
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