Impacts of Large Dams: A Global Assessment

Front Cover
Cecilia Tortajada, Dogan Altinbilek, Asit K. Biswas
Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2011 M11 2 - 420 pages
One of the most controversial issues of the water sector in recent years has been the impacts of large dams. Proponents have claimed that such structures are essential to meet the increasing water demands of the world and that their overall societal benefits far overweigh the costs. In contrast, the opponents claim that social and environmental costs of large dams far exceed their benefits, and that the era of construction of large dams is over. A major reason as to why there is no consensus on the overall benefits of large dams is because objective, authoritative and comprehensive evaluations of their impacts, especially ten or more years after their construction, are conspicuous by their absence. This book debates impartially, comprehensively and objectively, the positive and negative impacts of large dams based on facts, figures and authoritative analyses. These in-depth case studies are expected to promote a healthy and balanced debate on the needs, impacts and relevance of large dams, with case studies from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and Latin America.

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About the author (2011)

Prof. Asit K. Biswas is the President of the Third World Centre for Water Management, a leading international think tank on global water issues. One of the world ́s leading authorities on water resources management, he has been a past President of the International Water Resources Association, as well as a past President of the International Society for Ecological Modelling. He is one of the founders of the World Water Council, and was a member of the World Commission on Water.

Dr. Dogan Altinbilek is a Professor of Civil Engineering at the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey. He is a former Director General of State Hydraulic Works of Turkey, and is the current President of the International Hydropower Association.

Dr. Cecilia Tortajada is the Vice president of the Third World Centre for Water Management in Mexico. A biologist by training, she has a doctorate degree in water resources management from the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. She was elected Vice President of the International Water Resources Association for the 2004-2006 period. She is the Editor of the International Journal of Water Resources Development.

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