Around 300 dams and related hydro-power infrastructure on the Himalayan rivers across some of the biggest river basins in the world - Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra - were investigated by researchers led by Professor Maharaj K Pandit from the University Scholars Programme at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and his team at the University of Delhi and the Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Using field data and modelling, the researchers discovered that almost 90 per cent of the Himalayan valleys would be affected by dam building and that 27 per cent of these dams would affect dense forests with unique biodiversity. The team projected that dam-related activities will submerge and destroy about 170,000 hectares of forests.
Researchers also predicted that the dam density in the Himalaya is likely to be about 62 times greater than the current global average, which would result in deforestation and the extinction of 22 flowering plants and 7 vertebrate species.
The study found that water volume is the main driver of the richness of fish species in the rivers. Water withdrawals due to massive dam building activity would seriously undermine fish survival and diversity, fragment habitats and limit fish migration in these rivers, with long-term consequences for the livelihoods of fishermen.
Besides threatening biodiversity, the study also revealed the impact of dam-building activities on human lives and livelihoods. Due to high population density, dams have displaced Indian citizens for decades, researchers said.
"We are deeply aware of the country's need to develop economically. However, there is a need to balance development and not venture into haphazard dam building without caring for biodiversity and people," Pandit said in a statement. (MORE)
