Zwahlen Robert. Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Hydropower Projects

Springer, 2022. — 631 p. — (Environmental Earth Sciences). — ISBN 978-3-030-91184-3.This book describes the entire process of environmental impact assessment for hydropower and dam projects, not from a legal or regulatory point of view, but from a very applied one, based mainly on the personal experience of the author, who is involved in this field of work since over 40 years, by describing the different steps of such an assessment, covering all major aspects to be dealt with. The focus is on environmental issues, while the other main subject—social impacts—is mentioned here only briefly. It will be of interest not only for ESIA (Environmental and Social Impact Assessment) practitioners, be they consultants involved in the preparation of such studies or staff members of environmental protection agencies having to come to decisions based on them, but also for engineers and planners involved in such projects, developers, and people interested in questions related to energy, environment, and climate change. Overall, this book aims at contributing to put the discussion about hydropower and dam projects on a more objective level.ApproachDifferent Ways to Look at Things
Approach to ESIA
Dams, Reservoirs and Power Plants
Impacts
Mitigation
ESIA Preparation
Introductory Chapters to an Esia
Physical Environment
Water
Biological Environment
Human Environment
The ESMMP
Decommissioning
Comparison with Alternatives
Specific Issues
Access Roads
Reservoirs as Habitats
Reservoir Stratification
Downstream Impacts
Transboundary and Cumulative Effects
Residual or Ecological Flow
Dam Projects: Pro and Contra
Case Studies
Mekong Basin
Rogun: Water Scarcity in Central Asia
Impoundment and Reservoir Development
HPPs in High Mountain Areas
Bad Dams?
Epilogue: Whither Dams?