ARE DAMS UNSAFE? IT’S UNCLEAR

In a new trend, dams are being torn down in Europe and the West, mainly because they are aged or gone dud, rendering them unsafe and economically unviable. But the jury is still out on potential ill- effects

BIGGEST REMOVAL IN U. S. HISTORY

AUGUST 2014 SAW THE LARGEST DAM REMOVAL PROJECT IN U. S. HISTORY, AS THE GLINES CANYON DAM WAS DISMANTLED ON THE ELWHA RIVER IN WASHINGTON STATE. THE GOAL WAS TO REMOVE UNNEEDED, OUTDATED DAMS POST- REMOVAL STUDY CONFIRMS: THE MAIN IMPETUS FOR THE DAM REMOVAL WAS THE SALMON REINTRODUCTION. BUT IT WAS ALSO ABOUT A WHOLE ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION, ALL THE WAY FROM ABOVE THE DAMS TO THE STRAIT. EUROPE HAS DEMOLISHED MORE THAN 4,500 BARRIERS; FRANCE MORE THAN 2,300 BARRIERS, SWEDEN MORE THAN 1,600, FINLAND 450 AND SPAIN MORE THAN 200 DAMS.

FACTFILE 57,000

large dams worldwide. There are more than 300 major dams — giants which meet one of a number of criteria on height ( at least 150 metres), dam volume and reservoir volume.

1,300

Dams have been removed across the United States in the last 40 years because of safety concerns, sediment build- up, inefficiency or having otherwise outlived usefulness.

5,100

large dams India has ( 15m and higher or storing more than 3 million cubic meters of water) OCCUPIES HARDLY 2.4 PER CENT OF GLOBAL LAND AREA HAS NEARLY 17 PER CENT OF THE GLOBAL POPULATION HAS 30 PER CENT OF THE ‘ POOREST POOR’ OF THE WORLD

90mn

Still lack adequate quality drinking water ( and sanitation).

With the impacts of climate change starting to threaten livelihoods, it's time to protect our free- flowing rivers the world over — KATE HORNER, executive director, International Rivers