Silenced Rivers: The Ecology and Politics of Large DamsEntirely updated in the light of the recent World Commission on Dams Report, and responding to it, this new edition of Patrick McCully's now classic study shows why large dams have become such a controversial technology in both industrialized and developing countries. The book explains the history and politics of dam building worldwide and shows why large dams have become so controversial. It details the ecological and human impacts of large dams, and shows how the 'national interest' argument is used to legitimize uneconomic and unjust projects which benefit elites while impoverishing tens of millions, describes the technical, safety and economic problems of dam technology, the structure of the international dam-building industry, and the role played by international banks and aid agencies. |
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... downstream morphology of riverbed and banks , delta , estuary and coastline due to altered sediment load . 3. Changes in downstream water quality : effects on river temperature , nutrient load , turbidity , dissolved gases ...
... downstream of the dam , have greatly magnified the effects of dams and diversions in hastening the decline and extinction of fish species around the world.8 As well as flooding and fragmenting some of the world's best wild- life ...
... downstream flows are short - term daily or even hourly fluctuations in river levels , sometimes of as much as several metres , due to releases to meet peak demands for power . The link between water releases and power demand means that ...
Contents
Acknowledgements | viii |
Introduction to the Updated Edition | xv |
The Power and the Water | 1 |
Copyright | |
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