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Sustainability Considerations in the Design of Big Dams

Case Study: Merowe Dam, Nile Basin, Sudan

Project: Environmental assessment of the sustainability of the Merowe Dam for the next 100 yrs.

Our environmental assessment team will analyze the current hydropower dam design, and then propose design and operational changes to improve sustainability. The design process will be shaped by engineering as well as environmental constraints. The project will emphasize the long-term issues that are important for sustainability of large dams. The following will be our areas of focus:

Sedimentation build-up in the reservoir
Climate change and its impact in the hydrological regime
Smaller scale Impacts -- Archaeological sites, population resettlement, affects on public health due to water-borne diseases introduced by the new reservoir.