Different ways dams damage rivers .

Dams play an important role in our economy and benefits our society in more ways than one. However, if you seek the opinion of experts in hydro-engineering consultancy services in India, they will say that they also do considerable harm to the rivers. If you do a cost-benefit analysis you will find that dams, in the long run, have ruined the ecosystem of a river, reduced the number of fishes, and also changed the recreational opportunities that were otherwise available on a river. If you look at some of the dams that are central to our economy and benefits numerous people are now old and require costly maintenance so that they can continue to serve. Although, every single dam does not damage the river in the same way, here are some important manners that they can harm the river system. We have got this information from a reputed dam and barrage structuraldesign company.

1). Dams block the flow of the river

When you build a dam, then it stops fish migration, which limits their ability to reach spawning habitat, find food resources as well as escape their enemies. Nowadays, dams are designed in such a way that there are fish passage structures that allow fishes to pass around a dam, but they are not very effective as the successful migration depends a lot upon the species of fish also.

It slows down the rivers

Many aquatic organisms including river herring, salmon are dependent upon the steady flow of the river water to guide them. When you build a dam, then the stagnant reservoir can confuse the migrating fish, which in turn can increase the time they take for migration. Furthermore, when dams release the excess of water to produce power, then it can alter the natural seasonal flow variation which can affect the reproduction cycle of many aquatic species.

It impacts water quality

When you build a dam, then the stagnant or slow-moving water in the reservoir can heat up leading to high-temperature fluctuation which can impact many sensitive aquatic species negatively. This in turn can lead to decreased oxygen levels as algae blooms.