According to this Mongabay article, 147 dams are planned or under construction in the Amazon Basin. However, “the Amazon Basin is getting drier, decreasing the reliable water flow for its dams.”“True socio-environmental and cultural costs of dams are rarely evaluated before construction” of hydroelectric dams. “Dam repairs and removal at the end of a project’s life are rarely figured into upfront costs. Nor are impacts on river flow reduction, loss of fisheries, and aquatic habitat connectivity, destruction of productive farmlands drowned by reservoirs, and the displacement of riverine peoples. Lack of transparency and corruption between government and dam construction companies is at the heart of the problem preventing change. Researchers recommend that environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and social impact assessments (SIAs) be granted enough weight so that if they turn out negatively it will prevent a bad dam from being built.:” Environmental and social impact assessments “should be done by third parties serving citizens, not the dam company.”
The hidden costs of hydro: We need to reconsider world’s dam plans