The recently concluded World Fisheries Congress in Seattle in March 2024[i] discussed several themes relating to the health of our rivers, dependent communities and fish. Of the several interesting sessions, Symposium on ‘Dam Removal as a River Restoration Tool at the Water-Energy-Food Nexus’[ii] was of particular interest. I was simultaneously at two parallel sessions and was unable to attend some of the presentations but have tried to provide an overview of the Symposium, including a talk by SANDRP.
Continue reading “Dam Removal as a River Restoration Tool: World Fisheries Congress 2024”Tag: Klamath
Dams Decommissioning going up globally
All large dams have finite life. What happens to the dams once the useful life of a dam is over? It would need to be decommissioned. Decommissioning of a dam generally refers to[i] complete removal of the dam and its associated structures. This is a very relevant question for India as the third largest dam builder of the world. It becomes even more important as large dams are no longer required or are no longer viable and importance of a flowing river is increasingly appreciated. It needs to be kept in mind that a dam cannot be allowed to remain on the river, without proper maintenance, as such a dam would remain a huge safety hazard for society and economy downstream from the dam.
Continue reading “Dams Decommissioning going up globally”
DRP NB 11 Nov. 2019: Wetlands can help water security, help adapt to and mitigate climate change impacts
Wetlands are critical part of hydrological systems. They provide multiple ecological services to people living in proximal areas. The invisible contribution of wetlands in saturating aquifers and checking groundwater depletion is essential given the growing water scarcity. Additionally, wetlands are home to a variety of plants and animals species making them fully functional and self-sustaining eco-system. Sadly, despite the environmental significance and associated support services, wetlands have been subjected to degradation for past many decades.
US Dams, Rivers and People in 2017: There is so much to learn!
DECOMMISSIONING OF DAMS
Map of dams removed since 1916 Dams cause considerable harm to rivers. Dams have depleted fisheries, degraded river ecosystems, and altered recreational opportunities on nearly all of our rivers. Today, many dams that were once at the epicenter of a community’s livelihood are now old, unsafe or no longer serving their intended purposes. Learn how USA is working to remove dams and restore the rivers. (Map above is from Ameerican Rivers website, depicting the location of decommissioned dams in USA.) https://www.americanrivers.org/threats-solutions/restoring-damaged-rivers/dam-removal-map/ Continue reading “US Dams, Rivers and People in 2017: There is so much to learn!”
DRP News Bulletin 9 April 2018: Flood control makes Mississippi floods worse
Mississippi floods get worse with flood control engineering Groundbreaking research suggests that floods in 3800 km long Mississippi River passing through ten US states have got worse over the centuries, a new study suggests, with Flood Protection Engineering! “Floods on the mighty Mississippi River are larger and more frequent today than at any time in the past 500 years — in part, a new study suggests, because structures erected to control the river have increased the flood risk. Continue reading “DRP News Bulletin 9 April 2018: Flood control makes Mississippi floods worse”
SANDRP 