As shown in the videos, dam building projects can be huge, requiring massive amounts of time, resources, and man power. Before workers can start the construction of any given dam the designated river has to be diverted. Since dams are usually built on large rivers so as to capture as much energy as possible, the process of diverting them is not very simple. Historically cultures usually develop around water sources, and rivers are no different. So when these rivers are diverted, so are many local residents. When the river is diverted it may not have to be through an existing community, but when the dam is completed the are behind it must be flooded resulting in even greater property or land loss of the surrounding area.
Besides the construction process of dam projects there are various possible environmental impacts that may occur as results of these dams. Besides humans, plants and animals also lose habitat when the areas around dams are flooded. Many of the animal species must be relocated before they are swept away by the river.
There may also be environmental effects downriver from the dam. The Yangtze River which flows through the Three Gorges Dam is utilized by farmers downriver in the irrigation of crops. Before the river was dammed it had a decent amount of turbidity, carrying valuable nutrients which played a major role in fertilizing crops in the farmers' fields. Since the river has been dammed less of these nutrients make it down river to these farms. Harvests are yielding less crops as a result and farmers have had to resort to increasing the amount of fertilizer they must use substantially to maintain their previous levels of production. Engineers have attempted to work out a solution which allows more of the turbid sediments in the Yangtze River to flow through the dam, but they have not been successful in transporting 100% of the sediment.
While this may seem like a long list of complaints, there are still many benefits to hydroelectric dams. Many have had great success in the past, and power production numbers only seem to grow larger with each new dam that is constructed which can lead to a reduction in the use of highly polluting fossil fuels. Nearly half of Brazil's electricity comes from the Itaipu hydroelectric dam, and China also hopes to meet a large chunk of its ever increasing energy demand with the Three Gorges Dam. Such hydroelectric dams present great potential in generating clean electricity on a large scale by utilizing a renewable energy source. The environmental effects however, are not yet entirely determined and will vary on a case by case basis.
Besides the construction process of dam projects there are various possible environmental impacts that may occur as results of these dams. Besides humans, plants and animals also lose habitat when the areas around dams are flooded. Many of the animal species must be relocated before they are swept away by the river.
There may also be environmental effects downriver from the dam. The Yangtze River which flows through the Three Gorges Dam is utilized by farmers downriver in the irrigation of crops. Before the river was dammed it had a decent amount of turbidity, carrying valuable nutrients which played a major role in fertilizing crops in the farmers' fields. Since the river has been dammed less of these nutrients make it down river to these farms. Harvests are yielding less crops as a result and farmers have had to resort to increasing the amount of fertilizer they must use substantially to maintain their previous levels of production. Engineers have attempted to work out a solution which allows more of the turbid sediments in the Yangtze River to flow through the dam, but they have not been successful in transporting 100% of the sediment.
While this may seem like a long list of complaints, there are still many benefits to hydroelectric dams. Many have had great success in the past, and power production numbers only seem to grow larger with each new dam that is constructed which can lead to a reduction in the use of highly polluting fossil fuels. Nearly half of Brazil's electricity comes from the Itaipu hydroelectric dam, and China also hopes to meet a large chunk of its ever increasing energy demand with the Three Gorges Dam. Such hydroelectric dams present great potential in generating clean electricity on a large scale by utilizing a renewable energy source. The environmental effects however, are not yet entirely determined and will vary on a case by case basis.
Day 9: Arrive in Iguacu
Today we traveled from Curitiba to Iguacu and checked into the hostel we would be calling home for the next three days. We met the owner and some of his friends and a few other guests at the hostel that night. The hostel owner and his friends cooked "Brazilian bbq" for everyone to eat for dinner. This consisted mainly of grilled beef and pork chops. The food was delicious and the people were friendly and welcoming. We were all excited to be in such a warm and open environment. We could tell that staying at the hostel would be a favorite part of the trip for many of us.
Day 10: Iguacu Falls
Today we visited one of the new woders of the world, the majestic Iguacu Falls. There were lots and lots of people there to see the falls when we were there. We first planned on doing a hike through the jungle at the park, but found out the trails we wanted to hike were closed. The only other options, that sounded worthwhile, would have costed far too much per person so we had to pass. So next, we went to see the falls. We followed the guided path route that took us right next to a portion of the falls. The path was incredibly crowded at some points, and the amount of people stopping for pictures didn't help. But i can't say i wasn't one of them or that i blame them. The views were amazing and the falls extended in either direction as far as i could see. Some of the falls were so tall they looked like they could have been the size of skyscrapers. After following the path into the mist of the waterfall we had to hurry to make it in time to the next part of our outing, the boat ride to the base of the falls. We all took a jeep ride through a portion of the jungle with a guide who showed us around and told us all about indigenous plants and animals and some of the dangers they held. Once we got to the docs we put on our pfd's and loaded into the boat. The boat took us all the way up the river to the base of some of the largest of the falls we had looked at from so far above just a short while earlier. We were all soaked by the huge amounts of water pouring over the boat. Before we knew it we were heading back to the docs. The ride was too short but well worth the price of admission. We all departed with smiles on our faces.
It surprised me to see how commercialized the park and the falls were. They felt like they were being treated as merely an attraction and not for the unmatched natural wonder that they were. That being said the whole experience was amazing, and humbling to see such large falls that stretched as far as we could see. Riding on the boat beneath the falls was one of the most enjoyable parts of the whole trip. It was definitely the most exciting. And it was one of the most beautiful things in Brazil that we saw during the trip.
It surprised me to see how commercialized the park and the falls were. They felt like they were being treated as merely an attraction and not for the unmatched natural wonder that they were. That being said the whole experience was amazing, and humbling to see such large falls that stretched as far as we could see. Riding on the boat beneath the falls was one of the most enjoyable parts of the whole trip. It was definitely the most exciting. And it was one of the most beautiful things in Brazil that we saw during the trip.
Day 11: Itaipu Dam
Today we visited the Itaipu Dam, the third largest dam in the world in terms of capacity, and largest dam in the world in production. We took a guided tour that started with an informational video about the dam and its history. From there we took a bus ride to the outside of the dam where we were able to take some pictures and check out the view of the dam to get an idea of its size. From there we drove to the top of the dam and saw the view of how much water the dam was holding back. After that we drove to the entrance of the dam and got a tour of the inside. We went to the main operating center for the dam where there was a line down the middle of the dam which represented the two sides, Brazil's side and Paraguay's side. Everything in the dam was split this way and run accordingly.
The dam was so large, seeing it in person had a much larger effect than any picture did beforehand. Hearing about the enormity of the project of its construction sounded insane and seeing the finished product up and functioning was even more so. I thought it was impressive seeing Brazil and Paraguay working side by side in the operation of the dam, providing both countries with significant portions of national power supply.
The dam was so large, seeing it in person had a much larger effect than any picture did beforehand. Hearing about the enormity of the project of its construction sounded insane and seeing the finished product up and functioning was even more so. I thought it was impressive seeing Brazil and Paraguay working side by side in the operation of the dam, providing both countries with significant portions of national power supply.