To the editor of my local newspaper, Hello, I am Kamaula Rowe, a female student who is thirteen years old. I have decided to write to you to discuss a topic I have been researching. I would like to discuss the building of the ‘Belo Monte Dam.’ I believe that the building of this dam should be halted, and that the Brazilian government should stop stop building dams. Many ‘mega dams’ are being built due to Brazil’s Accelerated Growth Programme. They are being built in a series, and the Belo Monte Dam is one of them. Stated in the article,” Belo Monte Dam,” by Survival International, “Brazil’s Accelerated Growth Programme, which aims to stimulate the country’s economic growth by building a huge infrastructure of roads and dams, mainly in the …show more content…
Brazil’s government believes that by building this dam, they will aid to Brazil’s economy, at least that’s the reason they say they are building the dam. The Belo Monte Dam would become the world’s third largest hydroelectric project on one of the amazon’s major tributaries, the Xingu River. The reason I am against the building of this dam and any other dam is because of the many adverse effects it will have on the environment and because of how it will affect certain people. Stated on the article”Belo Monte Dam” written by Internations Rivers, “Many Brazilians believe that if Belo Monte is approved, it will represent a carte blanche for the destruction of all the magnificent rivers of the Amazon - next the Tapajós, the Teles Pires, then the Araguaia-Tocantins, and so on. The Amazon will become an endless series of lifeless reservoirs, its life drained away by giant walls of concrete and steel.” I will discuss both the benefits of the dam and the costs …show more content…
Human rights of the igneous communities will be ignored, over 120,00 people are expected to be affected by the sam and 80% of the Xingu will be diverted in all,which will affect the river further downstream. Sediment that is removed from the river at the reservoir will increase the velocity of the river and hence erosion further downstream The reservoir will encourage the breeding and growth of mosquitoes which can spread malaria. Flooding of the rainforest is highly likely to occur, and it will disrupt ecosystems, potentially destroy unknown medical plants and vegetation left in the bottom of the reservoirs will emit methane. Due to this dam being built, breeding grounds for fish will be lost, as certain fish cannot migrate and certain turtle species will face the same dilemma. If the dam break to surrounding areas the outcomes will be devastating, so it’s a risk that should not be taken. If the dam is built many other dams-some say at least 6-will need to be built in order for the dam to be more efficient. This dam will cause electricity to fuel the mining and metal processes in Para state which will be dirty energy. The expense of the dam is more than just it’s cost, ten thousands of people will be needed to move. And to prove that this dam will affect igneous communities, UN Human Rights Council issued statements against the treatment of the indigenous communities . If the Belo Monte dam is built, further development
The primary purpose of Friend dam is to help regulate the flow of San Joaquin into available uses of its environmental, wildlife, and farmer’s impacts. The dam controls the flow of water delivery where it needs authorization first before the schedule can release any delivery waters into canals, steam, and wild life habitats. There will be agreements and many protocols to do with it first to avoid unnecessary spilling. There are 5 release schedules which include quantity of water available, time water, flood control requirements, release schedules from storage reservoir above Millerton Lake, and water user requirements. These benefits of flood control, storage management, modification into Madera and Friant-Kern Canals, to stop salty water from abolishing thousands of lands in Sacramento and throughout San Joaquin Delta, as well as deliver masses of water into agricultural lands in 5other counties in the San Joaquin Valley.
The positive aspects of ‘Lake’ Powell are few yet noteworthy. Glen Canyon Dam’s hydroelectric power-plant generates one thousand three hundred mega watts of electricity at full operation. That is enough power to supply three hundred fifty thousand homes. Glen Canyon Dam holds twenty seven million acre feet of water, which is equivalent to twice the Colorado River’s annual flow (Living Rivers: What about the hydroelectric loss?). One of the most valuable reasons for the dam to remain active is that “Lake Powell generates four hundred fifty five million dollars per year in tourist revenue, without this cash inflow, gas-and-motel towns . . . would undoubtedly wilt, and surrounding counties and states would lose a substantial tax base” (Farmer 185). These positive aspects are of no surprise considering they are the reason dams are built in the first place.
The National Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) continues to invest heavily in the market, providing almost R$274 billion for the period of 2010 – 2013 (up 38% from 2005 – 2008). Nevertheless, the country must continue to seek new ways to attract private capital, by revisiting institutional and regulatory frameworks, in order to have the necessary investment levels that will sustain the growing economy and allow the delivery of successful projects.
This Paper will describe and analyze three articles pertaining to the ongoing debate for and against Glen Canyon Dam. Two of these articles were found in the 1999 edition of A Sense of Place, and the third was downloaded off a site on the Internet (http://www.glencanyon.net/club.htm). These articles wi...
The Oroville dam is a rock fill embankment dam, which means, a water barrier that is made with certain materials so that it isn’t prone to erosion or deterioration. Because the material is so heavy due to the need for a secure dam, , it creates a much stronger barrier and base to its foundation. A study was done to see if a rock fill dam is the most stable type of dam to hold the amount of water it is expected to. The study tested different types of dams stability compared to the stability of a rock fill, and ultimately found that the rock fill is completely acceptable and safe (Lei). The Feather River is the only river to feed into the dam, filling it to its total capacity of 3,507,977 acre/ft.
This extended essay will analyze the rhetoric of authors discussing the Glen Canyon Dam. These authors include: Jeff Rubin (The Place No One Knew), John McPhee (Encounters with the Archdruid), Russell Martin (A story that stands like a dam: Glen Canyon and the struggle for the soul of the West), and Jared Farmer (Glen Canyon dammed: inventing Lake Powell and the Canyon country). There are always two sides to an argument, one for one against.
Based on the events that lead to the devastating floods in Queensland and the eventual case that was brought against the engineers of the dam, there have been views from both sides of the divide as to whether or not the actions taken by the engineers were actually ethical or otherwise. We have explored this avenue and have found that both sides of the divide have good reasons to justify their actions. Firstly, we shall explore the avenue that the engineers decisions were appropriate and ethical. It can be said that the engineers did employ act utilitarianism in their decisions and actions, hence causing these decisions to be ethically correct. Act utilitarianism is essentially doing the right thing, which would benefit the majority of people, based on the situation that is currently taking place. One of the reasons that explains why the actions taken could be considered as ethically fine, was that if the dam was not opened, there would have been no other way to solve the increasing water levels in the dam. If no action was taken, there could have been seriously devastating effects, like the dam wall eroding due to water spilling over the dam wall, thus weakening the structure, or a loss of water flow control. Professor Hubert Chanson, a professor in hydraulic engineering in the University of Queensland, mentioned that the Wivenhoe Dam was actually designed as an embankment dam, hence it should not be overtopped, that is water should not be allowed to flow over the limits of the dam (Andersen 2011). Despite there being a secondary spillway, however it is recommended that spillway is not put to use, as the use of that spillway would mean that there would be a surge of water leaving the dam, and a loss of control of the water flow, w...
The use of turbines from dams to provide power was a brilliant idea until water levels started running lower than normal. The water waste from humanity is directly contributing to portions of it, aside from drought conditions affected by pollution, widespread fires battled, and more adds to the depletion thereof. When humanity is relying on power provided from dams to handle the demand, they are essentially relying on the assumption that water levels will always be there to provide it. The Hoover Dam provides power to the southwestern portion of the USA that has a large number of people.
Although some people believe that the pipeline will do a great cause and help create jobs ; While others believe that this will have a big effect on the peoples water supply and cause more problems than guaranteeing a good solution. They presume it is a good idea to do construction in that specific area , believing it will do good for the economy , it could also cause great damage to the land and habitats of animals . As well as the water from the stream . Transporting fossil fuel could cause bad climate change and could end up harming the
If the dam is so beneficial then why is it that all public debate on the issue has been banned since 1989, even for "…scientists and specialists"(Faison, 1997). This has probably been done to slow the process of or eliminate any opposition that may arise to this project. There are a few questions or "What if’s" about the dam, such as "What if the dam collapses?" or "What if during a war or conflict a bomb is dropped on the dam?" and since the dam is built on many seismic faults, will earthquakes be a problem? Besides all of these questions, there are numerous facts that should dissuade any proponent of the dam to insist on its construction. The dam besides hurting the environment, will also "…displace 1.3 million people."(Giaccia, 1997). These people were not asked to leave, they were told, and many of them still have not been compensated for their trouble, but this goes deeper than financial burdens. Individual rights have been violated, the government simply forced these people off their land and out of their homes and this affects children, families and livelihoods.
Constructed on loose, soluble foundations, the dam has been cited by American geotechnical engineers as dangerously close to rupturing. A failure of the Mosul Dam would release eight billion cubic meters of water, kill close to two million people, and displace millions more. Whereas most coverage of the dam focuses on its inevitably
One of the most significant impacts is the evacuation of residents. According to Elizondo Gabriel(2012), The dam will directly displace over 20,000 people, mainly from the municipalities of Altamiraand Vitória do Xingu. Not only people directly evacuated will be affected, but people who live in the watershed will also be seriously influenced due to the changes of their fisheries, groundwater, and the transporting ability on rivers. For example, the fisheries will be negatively affected because stagnant pools will form in the river, increasing the ability of deseases distribution. Also, more importantly, a lot of the residents in the evacuated area are indigenous people, such as people from Juruna and Arara ethnical groups, making it more difficult for the government to negotiate with them.
Samarco had their mining licence suspended by the Minas Gerais Government. They will be liable to pay for compensation to the individuals affected and for the remediation of communities and environment. They will also face legal claims in the form of criminal charges, potential civil charges from families and affected parties and class actions for communities. They will will face costs of rebuilding the dam if reopened. Their corporate reputation is jeopardized as they have had a had a disaster occur at one of their sites.
Brazil is depending heavily on tourist money to pay for the country’s infrastructure as Vinicius Lummertz, Brazil’s national secretary of public policies, quotes, “We hope tourism in Brazil rises to a new level after the World Cup. With infrastructure improvements that increase the competitiveness of Brazil as a tourist destination, and the high exposure of the country abroad, I expect to see a significant increase in foreign tourists--but mainly more Brazilians traveling through Brazil.” The Bleacher Report reported that a prediction of 25 billion dollars would be spent by 600,000 foreign and three million Brazilian travelers as an estimation. There is no exact amount of tourist money yet but the reality is that Brazil would definitely not be saved from it because it is just impossible to pay off a 14 billion dollar payment just from tourist money. Another point that will take a while to cool down is Brazil’s pride.
The paragraphs below will prove that the construction and presence of dams always has and will continue to leave devastating effects on the environment around them. Firstly, to understand the thesis people must know what dams are. A dam is a barrier built across a water course to hold back or control water flow. Dams are classified as either storage, diversion or detention. As you could probably notice from it's name, storage dams are created to collect or hold water for periods of time when there is a surplus supply.