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Hoover Dam -

Back in 1936, the Hoover Dam was the highest and most powerful dam not only in the US, but in the world. 

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Hoover Dam -

It had a huge impact in the southwest, bringing development to the area, but it also destroyed the Colorado River's downstream fisheries. We probably wouldn't have Las Vegas as we know it if it wasn't for the power generated by the Hoover Dam. 

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Kariba Dam -

Built in the 1950s in the Zambezi river, the Kariba Dam was funded by the World Bank. Its goal was to power Zambia's Copperbelt region and bring economic prosperity.  

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Kariba Dam -

Except, the construction of the Kariba Dam displaced 57,000 people, who suffered famine and remained in poverty.

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Bhakra Dam -

When Bhakra Dam opened in 1963, the then-prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, called it the "Temple of Modern India." Bhakra Dam was a symbol of progress for the country. 

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Bhakra Dam -

But poorly managed irrigation projects have led to waterlogged, saline soils and declining crop yields. Nehru changed his tone and quickly grew to regret the "disease of gigantism" in dam construction.

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Chixoy Dam -

The World Bank's Chixoy Dam was built on the lands of the Maya Achí people in Guatemala. By 1982, communities had been displaced and more than 400 indigenous people who didn't want to leave their homes were massacred. 

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Chixoy Dam -

Reparations for the damages had been claimed over the years. It was not until 2014 that the Guatemalan government signed a $154 million reparations agreement with 33 indigenous communities that were affected.

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Banqiao Dam -

In August 1975, the Banqiao Dam collapsed, killing an estimated 171,000 people. This remains the world's biggest dam disaster in history. 

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Banqiao Dam -

The failure of Banqiao Dam occurred after the landfall of Typhoon Nina. The collapse created the one of the deadliest floods in history, covering an area of 12,000 sq km (3 million acres).

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Zipingpu Dam -

There have been several instances where dam building has been linked to earthquakes. One example was the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in China, which killed 80,000 people, likely triggered by the Zipingpu Dam.

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Yacyretá Dam -

The cost of Argentina's Yacyretá Dam ran over budget from $2.5bn to $15bn. It was even called "a monument to corruption" by a former president. 

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Yacyretá Dam -

Yacyretá Dam also had a huge impact on the local flora and fauna, leading to the extinction of several species in the wild. 

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Nagymaros Dam -

In 1988, the proposed Nagymaros Dam on the Danube was faced with protest. Around 40,000 Hungarians defied the Communist government in a massive protest against its construction. 

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Nagymaros Dam -

The project was stopped the following year and inspired others across Eastern Europe to raise their voices against the government. A number of protests against destructive dams around the world followed.

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Sardar Sarovar Dam -

More than 250,000 people were displaced to allow for the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam on India's Narmada river.

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Sardar Sarovar Dam -

An independent review found violations of the World Bank's social and environmental policies. As a result, the bank abandoned the project in 1994. 

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Three Gorges Dam -

Completed in 2008, China's Three Gorges Dam is the world's largest hydroelectric plant. Such a grand project certainly creates a lot of energy, but it also had a huge impact in people and the environment. 

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Three Gorges Dam -

The construction of the Three Gorges Dam forced over 1.2 million people to relocate and severely damaged the Yangtze River ecosystem.

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Merowe Dam -

The Chinese government decided to expand its dam building projects overseas and in 2003 they funded the Merowe Dam in Sudan. 

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Merowe Dam -

Over 50,000 people were displaced as a result, and a number of human rights violations were reported.

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Inga 3 -

Following the scandal with the Sardar Sarovar Dam, the World Bank remained out of dam constructions for a long time. They returned in 2014 with the Inga 3 project in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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Inga 3 -

The World Bank's Inga 3 project will have limited local impact on local consumers, but will greatly benefit mining companies.

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Glines Canyon Dam -

The Glines Canyon Dam on the Elwha River in the Pacific northwest caused serious damage to the local environment. 

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Glines Canyon Dam -

In 2014, the US government removed the dam in order to restore the river ecosystem. This had a huge impact on fish habitats. 

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Patagonia -

Patagonia has seen many proposals of dams over the years, but because of the environmental impact, they were never built. 

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Patagonia -

In 2014 alone, Chile cancelled five dams in the Patagonia region. Instead, they went ahead with new solar and wind farms.

Sources: (The Guardian) (BBC) 

See also: The huge dam in China that is making our days longer

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