Title

Damning Damming Modernity: The Destructive Role Of Megadams

Keywords

Asian dam projects; Climate change; Dams; Modernity; Soil salinity

Abstract

In Asia, the latter twentieth and early twenty-first centuries have witnessed an extraordinary expansion of mega-dam building. In many cases these dams cause more harm than good. These projects, which epitomize the instrumental mindset of modernity, need to be reconsidered, especially in light of climate change and their long term damage. Hoover dam in the U.S. constituted the first of these projects and its usefulness is coming to an end, suggesting that many dams in Asia may suffer a similar fate. Many of the megadam projects in Asia are being built on rivers fed by the Himalayan glacier system on the Tibetan plateau, yet climate change is altering the future availability of water due to glacial retreat, while changing rainfall patterns may cause flooding in one region and drought in another. Further, these dams have interrupted natural processes with resulting salinization of fields making them unproductive for agriculture. Many writers have spoken against these practices from Linda Hogan to Arundhati Roy to Ishimure Michiko. Their writings remind us that flowing water has an ecological integrity that dammed water has lost. Further, an ecological understanding warns us not to accept the discrete incident mentality that ignores the impact of climate change and treats every dam project as if it were unrelated to other projects and unrelated to long term environmental changes.

Publication Date

12-1-2011

Publication Title

Tamkang Review

Volume

42

Issue

1

Number of Pages

27-40

Document Type

Review

Personal Identifier

scopus

Socpus ID

84862085478 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84862085478

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