Dam Construction and the Establishment of New Ecosystems in Arid Places

Dams are anthropogenic means of storing river water for various purposes. As such, in arid regions, such measures become a necessity since sustainable water sources are scarce owing to normal, to below normal, average rainfall per annum. The issue of water scarcity in arid regions has been made more acute, and thus a matter of urgency, by climate change that is characterized by recurrent droughts, prolonged dry spells, and unpredictability of rainfall patterns. Therefore, governments in the dry regions are coerced to depend on dam construction to stall portable water scarcity challenges. However, such strategies disrupt the ecological equilibrium. It was therefore the main objective of this chapter to explore the drivers, and effects of, ecological change in river systems owing to damming. Subsequently, secondary data sources in the form of academic journals, governmental reports, and multilateral organizational reports were used to collate the needed data. The data were analyzed through a thematic analysis approach. The study findings confirmed that dams disrupt ecological regimes through three channels: biotic, geomorphological, and socioeconomic. In other words, the costs of constructing dams are more evident in local environments and communities whereby the intended benefits are in some cases exported to distant localities in the form of hydroelectricity and irrigation, for example. This is made more poignant when the local communities depend on the river ecology for their livelihoods. Furthermore, the novel ecosystems facilitated by the construction of dams are only made permanent if the constructed water bodies are durable. It is recommended that environmental impact assessment processes be carried out and their recommendations followed to the letter. In cases where limited financial and technical expertise exist, the Global North is encouraged to assist to facilitate inclusive development.