IMPORTANCE OF DAMS

Water is essential for sustenance of all forms of life on earth. It is not evenly distributed all over the world

and even its availability at the same locations is not uniform over the year. While the parts of the world,
which are scarce in water, are prone to drought, other parts of the world, which are abundant in water,
face a challenging job of optimally managing the available water resources. No doubt the rivers are a
great gift of nature and have been playing a significant role in evolution of various civilizations,
nonetheless on many occasions, rivers, at the time of floods, have been playing havoc with the life and
property of the people. Management of river waters has been, therefore, one of the most prime issues
under consideration. Optimal management of river water resources demands that specific plans should
be evolved for various river basins which are found to be technically feasible and economically viable
after carrying out extensive surveys. Since the advent of civilization, man has been constructing dams
and reservoirs for storing surplus river waters available during wet periods and for utilization of the same
during lean periods. The dams and reservoirs world over have been playing dual role of harnessing the
river waters for accelerating socio-economic growth and mitigating the miseries of a large population of
the world suffering from the vagaries of floods and droughts. Dams and reservoirs contribute significantly
in fulfilling the following basic human needs: -
Water for drinking and industrial use:
Due to large variations in hydrological cycle, dams and reservoirs are required to be constructed to
store water during periods of surplus water availability and conserve the same for utilization during lean
periods when the water availability is scarce.
Flood Control:
Floods in the rivers have been many a time playing havoc with the life and property of the people.
Dams and reservoirs can be effectively used to control floods by regulating river water flows downstream
the dam.
Hydro power generation:
Energy plays a key role for social-economic development of a country. Hydro power provides a
cheap, clean and renewable source of energy.
While dams provide a yeoman service to the mankind, the following impacts of the construction of dams
are required to be handled carefully:
· Resettlement and Rehabilitation
· Environment and forests
· Sedimentary issues
· Socio economic issues
· Safety aspects
The above problems related to the construction of dams may be resolved successfully in case the
approach of management is objective, dynamic, progressive and responsive to the needs of the hour.