What are the Disadvantages of Dams?

Building dams is harmful to the environment as it leads to poor quality of life for the population living in nearby places or have been displaced because of the project.

What are the 3 Advantages of Dams?

The top advantages of dams are as follows: Electricity generation, tourist attraction increases because of it, and they fulfill water demands for domestic, agricultural, and industrial purposes.

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What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Dams?

Q: What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Dams?

Electricity generation, preservation of water, high costs, large-scale migration of people , etc. are the advantages and disadvantages of dams.

By Balaji

Updated on: March 22nd, 2023

The advantages and disadvantages of dams are the preservation of water, electricity generation, large-scale migration of people, high costs, etc. Dams are constructed to regulate the supply of water to fulfilll domestic and industrial needs, generate electricity, etc. Whenever there is a debate on Environment vs Development, the biggest question is about the advantages and disadvantages of Dams. Let us learn more about it in detail.

Table of content

1. Advantages and Disadvantages of Dams

Advantages and Disadvantages of Dams

The key points related to the disadvantages and advantages of dams have been illustrated in the table below:

Advantages of Dams	Disadvantages of Dams
The flow of water is regulated, which is used for serving domestic, agricultural, and industrial needs.	Large-scale migration of people from the area where the dam is proposed to be built.
The reservoir built behind the dam can be used for water sports, irrigation, or other pleasurable activities.	The construction of huge dams leads to a major deterioration of the earth’s surface which causes geological harm.
Generating electricity through dams does not cause pollution as no greenhouse gases are created in the process.	Building dams is a very costly and a time-taking process.
Electricity is generated through dams using the hydroelectric plant.	The construction of dams takes many years, which leads to poor quality of life for the people living near the construction areas.

So, these advantages and disadvantages of dams prove that these structures, which are significant for human civilization, also have their set of drawbacks.

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