Question

What is sustainable management. Write the advantage and disadvantage of river dams

Answer 1

Sustainable management is the intersection of business and sustainability

ADVANTAGES:  

1. Once a dam is constructed, electricity can be produced at a constant rate.

2. If electricity is not needed, the sluice gates can be shut, stopping electricity generation. The water can be saved for use another time when electricity demand is high.  

3. Dams are designed to last many decades and so can contribute to the generation of electricity for many years / decades.  

4. The lake that forms behind the dam can be used for water sports and leisure / pleasure activities. Often large dams become tourist attractions in their own right.  

5. The lake's water can be used for irrigation purposes.  

6. The build up of water in the lake means that energy can be stored until needed, when the water is released to produce electricity.

7. When in use, electricity produced by dam systems do not produce green house gases. They do not pollute the atmosphere.

DISADVANATGES:  

1. Dams are extremely expensive to build and must be built to a very high standard.  

2. The high cost of dam construction means that they must operate for many decades to become profitable.  

3. The flooding of large areas of land means that the natural environment is destroyed.

4. People living in villages and towns that are in the valley to be flooded, must move out. This means that they lose their farms and businesses. In some countries, people are forcibly removed so that hydro-power schemes can go ahead.

5. The building of large dams can cause serious geological damage. For example, the building of the Hoover Dam in the USA triggered a number of earth quakes and has depressed the earths surface at its location.

6. Although modern planning and design of dams is good, in the past old dams have been known to be breached (the dam gives under the weight of water in the lake). This has led to deaths and flooding.  

7. Dams built blocking the progress of a river in one country usually means that the water supply from the same river in the following country is out of their control. This can lead to serious problems between neighbouring countries.  

8. Building a large dam alters the natural water table level. For example, the building of the Aswan Dam in Egypt has altered the level of the water table. This is slowly leading to damage of many of its ancient monuments as salts and destructive minerals are deposited in the stone work from rising damp caused by the changing water table level.

Answer 2

Answer:

Sustainable management is the responsible maintenance and protection of natural resources so that they are not completely exhausted for future use.

A dam is an artificial wall or barrier to restrict the flow of running water and form a huge lake or water reserviour. The advantages and disadvantages of dams are indicated below.

Advantages:

1. They provide water for domestic, industry and irrigation purposes.
2. We get hydroelectric power from dams.
3. Dams can be used as waterways.
4. During heavy rainfall or excess water flow, dams store water then release water during times of low natural water flow are and meet water our water requirement. This act as flood control.

Disadvantages:

1. They are extremely expensive to build and must follow a very high standard.
2. Dams flood large areas of land and submerge natural vegetations and agricultural land.
3. People living around the dam location must be relocated.
4. Dams can cause earthquakes and landslides.