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There
is growing evidence that dams do not fulfill the economic promises
made for them: they cost more than claimed, they fill with silt
long before promised, and they produce less power than expected.
Dams also assist the powerful and wealthy to enclose the common
land, water and forests of the politically weak.
For a variety of reasons, dams are becoming
more expensive. These reasons include:
- increasing technical and construction
problems encountered in building dams (e.g. dealing with sedimentation--lower
lifespan of dams).
- increasing requirements to pay for
mitigation of social and environmental impacts.
- delays due to public opposition and
other problems.
- the fact that most of the best sites
have already been taken.
Hydropower is also a highly inflexible
source of power, vulnerable if demand for power changes from
that projected. A large hydro project typically takes a decade
from the start of construction to providing power. During that
time, power demand may change greatly, sometimes eliminating
demand for the power to be produced by that dam. For
example, the Bakun Dam is now justified on the basis of rapidly
increasing power demand (13%/year). However, if there is a severe
recession between now and 2003, and this growth in demand slows
down, or stops, then Malaysia could be left with an expensive
dam, and no demand for its product. This has happened in other
countries, including Argentina and Columbia. Such problems have
contributed to indebtedness of numerous countries that have invested
large sums in large dams.
Increasing economic inequalities: In
many instances, dams, and related facilities, like irrigation
projects, have benefited disproportionately those members of
society that are already wealthier. This is because, as in the
case of irrigation projects, larger landowners, whether individuals
or corporations, are better able to afford the additional machinery,
chemicals, and labour that will be needed to benefit from the
extra water. Small farmers, on the other hand, risk losing their
share entirely of the water, or of being bought out or forced
off their land by landowners who are in position to use the land.
Table 2: Social and Economic
Implications of Dams
|
Relocation of communities: |
- impacts on health, & economic,
social, cultural well-being |
|
Loss of community control
over water: |
- transfer of control from local
level to central government or corporate control |
|
Diseases: |
- encouraged by dam projects
(creating habitat for parasites), e.g. schistosomiasis, mosquitos |
|
Increasing cost of dams: |
- problems encountered in building
dams (eg. sedimentation).
- cost of mitigating social, environmental impacts.
- delays
- best sites already taken -- only more remote, more difficult
sites left. |
|
o |
Inflexibility of hydrodams as
power source (need to predict electricity demand far in future). |
|
o |
Increasing economic inequalities:
disproportionate share of project benefits usually go to wealthier
sectors of society |
|
o |
Important contributor to national
debt. |
|
|