Dams and Environment

Although the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) was initially mostly concerned with security, it became pretty early concerned with the subject of environment. Environment was first discussed during the 1973 Congress, one year after the first UN Environment summit of Stockholm. The first Technical Committee devoted to the subject was created in 1977 and the first Technical Bulletin appeared in 1981. In 1997, ICOLD published a document that presents guidance for environmental consideration, assessment and mitigation: "Position Paper on Dams and the Environment". It states: "Increased awareness of the natural environment and its endangered situation is one of the most important developments of the late 20th century."

One of the fundamental requirements for socio-economic development throughout the world is the availability of adequate quantities of water with the appropriate quality and an adequate supply of energy. Hydropower is a renewable source of energy and supplies about 20% of the world's needs. Properly planned, designed and constructed and maintained dams contribute significantly toward fulfilling our water supply and energy requirements. To accommodate the variations in the hydrologic cycle, dams and reservoirs are needed to store water and then provide a consistent discharge to maintain the required daily flow in our rivers throughout the year.