Dams are constructed on the river for multipurpose use. Give its advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages of dams: (i) The water stored in the dams is used for irrigation by constructing canals which carry water to the fields. The Indira Gandhi Canal carries water from Bhakra dam Punjab to villages in Rajasthan desert where it has brought greenery and added life to the soil. (ii) The water in dams is continuously available for the people in the vicinity to make use of it after purification. (iii) The water of dam is also used in producing electricity. The water in dam that falls from a certain height gains kinetic energy and rotates turbines to generate electricity. Hence this way it makes hydroelectricity. Disadvantages of dams: (i) Social Problems: Due to dam’s construction large number of human settlements are submerged in water, many people become homeless. Govt. must provide adequate compensation for the rehabilitation of these people which is not being done. (ii) Ecological problems: Lot of deforestration takes place for the construction of dams, which leads to loss of biodiversity. Many plants get submerged under water and on decomposition this releases methane gas; that is the greenhouse gas; causing global warming. (iii) Economic problems: For the construction of dams large funds are required, Govt. invests lot of money in its construction and the benefits or the output is not equivalent.
