5. A dam is built across a river or stream to control
water through the placement of a blockage of earth,
rock and/or concrete. Dams are usually built to
store water in a reservoir. This stored water is later
used for a variety of applications such as municipal
water supplies and irrigation. Water stored in
reservoirs can also be directed to flow through large
hydraulic turbines, producing electric power for use
in homes and industries. Since the reservoir water
that is used to generate electricity is continuously
replenished hydroelectric power is considered a
renewable source of energy. By building large dams,
large hydro potentials can be exploited for meeting
power needs on a national or regional basis. Besides
generating power, hydroelectric projects have the
benefits of drinking water requirements and meeting
irrigation etc.
6. DISADVANTAGES
The disadvantages of large dams are:
● Flooding of large areas of land which results in destroying fauna and flora.
● Construction of dams across the rivers leads to deforestation which in turn
results in the loss of biodiversity. Also the flora and fauna get affected by
altering the physical characteristics of the river below the dam.
● Impeding fish migration, and thereby killing large numbers of fish that pass
through hydroelectric turbines.
● Local people’s attachment to the land that they have nurtured all their lives
is treated as insignificant. They are uprooted ruthlessly for the construction
of dams.
● Due to lack of flow of water, water becomes stagnated and causes spreading
of water-borne diseases and releases green house gases.
● Big dams cause earthquakes because of the weight of water in reservoirs.
● If a large dam is damaged, it will effect the lives of lakhs of people.
7. WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE LOOK OUT
FOR?
Displacing local
people without
rehabilitation
Dams affect the
fertility of the soil.
Loss of livelihood
of the tribal
community
8. CONCLUSION
We need dams. However by focusing
more on alternative methods, need of
big dams will lessen over time. When
dams are constructed, care must be
taken to rehabilitate all. Dams must be
built on a strong rock foundation and
total dam must be strong enough to
tolerate natural disasters.
11. NGT
02
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) is a specialized body that
was formed under the NGT Act, 2010 for effective and
expeditious disposal of cases that are related to the
protection and conservation of the environment, forests, and
other natural resources. India has become the third country in
the world after Australia and New Zealand, for setting up a
specialized environmental tribunal and also the first developing
country to do so. The National Green Tribunal has a total of
five places of sittings namely: Bhopal, Pune, New Delhi,
Kolkata, and Chennai, amongst which, New Delhi is the
Principal place of sitting.
12. OBJECTIVES
● Some of the major objectives of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) are as
follows:
● Effective and expeditious disposal of cases that are related to the protection
and conservation of the environment, forests, and other natural resources.
● To give relief and compensations for any damages caused to persons and
properties.
● To handle various environmental disputes that involve multi-disciplinary
issues.
13. Structure of NGT
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) comprises three major bodies
namely:
● The Chairperson
● The Judicial Members, and
● The Expert Members.
● Also, there should be a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20
fulltime Judicial as well as Expert members in the NGT.
14. Powers of NGT
Over the past few years, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) developed as an
important body for regulation of the environment and passing strict orders on
issues related to pollution, deforestation, waste management, etc. Some of the
major powers of the National Green Tribunal include:
NGT provides a way for the evolution of environmental jurisprudence through the
development of an alternative dispute resolution mechanism.
It helps in the reduction of the litigation burden on environmental matters in the
higher courts.
NGT provides a faster solution for various environment-related disputes that are
less formal and less expensive.
It curbs environment-damaging activities. NGT ensures the strict observation of
the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) process.
NGT provides reliefs and compensations for any damages caused to persons and
properties.
15. QUESTIONS ABOUT NGT
Who is the present chairman of National
Green Tribunal?
Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel is
the chairperson of NGT who
took over in 2018.
Term of NGT Members
members are required to hold
the office for five years
Who appoints NGT
members?
A Selection Committee is formed by
the central government of India for
the appointment of Judicial
Members and Expert Members
