Correlation Between the Physical, Ecological and Social Components in Basins Intervened by the Construction of Multiple Dam Systems for the Hydroelectric Energy Generation

Energy is a basic need, hydroelectricity is one of the most efficient and cheap alternatives to produce energy but at the same time with highly environmental impacts, the challenge is to develop a combination where the river ecosystem services can be preserve and energy demand supplies.

Combined interventions in a basin due to the dam construction can cause several impacts (simple or cumulative) that are reflected for long time until the ecosystem achieves the new balance, some of them never recover the initial state or cannot reach a healthy environment. In some basins exploitation of water resources for energy production is typical to supply the demand of the country. Some schemes (depending of the basin characteristics) can be configured as simple, cascade or multiple dam systems, looking for an optimization of the water resource and to enhance the energy production to strengthen the electricity system, but it seems to be only from the economical viewpoint, but it is necessary to have a global vision, taking into account socioenvironmental aspects to manage it as an integrated system where basin ecosystem services can be maintained

Impacts of dams heavily modify the volume of water flowing downstream, change the timing, frequency, and duration of high and low flows, and alter the natural rates at which rivers rise and fall during runoff events. Recovering or restoring social and environmental benefits through optimization of dam operations depend of several factors and interests such as: water uses (irrigation, aqueducts, industrial processes and hydropower generation), biological, physical and socioeconomic conditions, policies and regulation. Hydropower operation must be viewed as a part of an integrated systems, counting several stakeholders in which all the needs have to be considered.

Optimizing dam operations by taking into account downstream needs, starts by characterizing the effects of all dams present in the catchment and their impacts on the river flow regime and morphodynamics. It is very important to know the existing correlation between the physical, biotic and social components, by means of the establishment of some indicators, in such a way that an adequate and integrated management of the basin can be planned, in which the ecosystem services can be maintained or conserve and the generation of energy can be incentivized in a sustainable way.