MoNRE-DWR

Hydropower development is a sector that generates among the most important impacts on water and water related natural resources. The impact assessments that are prepared before the construction stage generally point out two major impacts, one being the need to move the population leaving in the area to be inundated, as well as their related assets to other places (especially in case of large reservoirs), and one being the issue of  the barrier created by the dam that blocks the fish migration and the reproduction cycle putting at risk the fishing sector.

When starting to operate, the water release from the dam depends from the demand in electricity and therefore causes a dramatic change to the water flow regime that existed before the dam construction.  It may happen that this change may have positive effects as it may help buffering flash flood, but it also may generate negative impacts as change in flow regime affects the human and aquatic life downstream, especially agriculture and fishing activities. Mismanagement can also create artificial unexpected flood downstream that put human lives at risk and that may as well damage agricultural and fishing activities. If rules are not set up for restitution of a minimum flow, it may affect seriously the downstream part of the streams and wetlands. Conflicts between water users, including the aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity may occur.