The Volta River In Ghana, downstream from the dam.
Iain Jackson
Resettlement plans for large infrastructure projects don’t always go according to plan.
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Water is crucial to the spread of malaria because mosquitoes breed and lay their eggs in or near bodies of water.
Danny Lawson/PA
The damage to the dam holding back a reservoir just a mile from the nearest town downriver should focus minds on ensuring civil infrastructure is maintained.
Water rushes through a breached levee on the Arkansas River in Dardanelle, Ark., May 31, 2019.
Yell County Sheriff's Department via AP
At a time when storms are becoming more frequent and severe, relying on levees for flood control can create as many problems as it solves.
The San Pedro Mezquital River is the last free-flowing river in Mexico’s western Sierra Madre.
Octavio Aburto
Thousands of hydropower dams are under construction around the world. New research shows that by cutting off sediment flow, these dams can have big ecological effects on far-off bays and deltas.
A dam near Gemtree, Northern Territory.
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A barrier just 50km wide might stop water-reliant cane toads in their tracks.
The aftermath of the dam burst in Brumadinho.
EPA-EFE/Antonio Lacerda
The tailing dam collapse at the Brumadinho mine has shocked the world, but can we really be sure that ‘never again’ truly means never again?
Dams, like the Kariba between Zambia and Zimbabwe, regulate flow for irrigation, hydropower and water supply.
ATEC-3D
There are benefits and downsides to damming rivers.
After 48 hours of frantic effort, Brazilian rescue workers have called off their search for survivors at a collapsed dam in Minas Gerais state.
AP Photo/Leo Correa
Nearly 1,800 Brazilian dams are at risk of failure, according to the government. Fixing them is expensive – but ignoring aging dams can have considerable social, economic and environmental costs.
Munduruku tribal people are demanding that Brazil’s government respect their land rights.
AP Photo/Eraldo Peres
Brazil’s new president could clear the way for plans to develop remote areas around the Tapajos River basin over the objections of the indigenous people who live there.
A gold tailings dam under construction in South Africa.
Author supplied
In countries like South Africa which has a big and robust mining sector, tailings need to be managed with extra care.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is a towering figure in India’s history.
Divyakant Solanki/AAP Image
Standing 240m tall, the Statue of Unity celebrates India’s development. But jarringly, it towers over a divisive and environmentally damaging dam project.
Bloede Dam (ca. 2016) near Ilchester, Maryland.
Matthew Baker/UMBC
When a dam comes down this fall, a team of scientists will be there to track the environmental changes.
The shrinking supply of Colorado River water is evident at the Hoover Dam on the border of Arizona and Nevada.
AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin
Taking millions of gallons of water permanently out of the Colorado River amid a prolonged drought would surely start an interstate fight.
Lagoons and vineyards from Gydo Pass in the Western Cape. Water is crucial for such commodities.
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In periods of water stress, farmers need support, research assistance and empathy from governments and competing water users.
Gustavo Frazao/Shutterstock.com
The history of the rubber ‘boom’ reveals why.
With water storages running low, residents of Cape Town get drinking water in the early morning from a mountain spring collection point.
Nic Bothma/EPA
The situation in Perth in particular has some parallels to that of Cape Town, but Australian cities responded to the last big drought by investing in much bigger water supply and storage capacity.
Hydropower plays a massive role electrifying many countries.
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Many countries in eastern and southern Africa rely on hydropower for electricity generation and there are plans for several more dams.
FCG / shutterstock
The region relies on seasonal flooding, yet energy demand is year-round.
Dam projects on the Irrawady in Myanmar could not only devastate livelihoods but add more conflicts to an already sensitive region.
Saw John Bright
Constructing large dams can provide much needed electricity for Myanmar. But this can also threaten the livelihoods of millions.