A perspective analysis about the effects of dams - Evidence from Iran

Abstract

The construction of dams is one of the main mechanisms undertaken by policy makers for managing the challenge of water scarcity in recent decades, but this strategy can lead to negative social, economic and environmental consequences. The purpose of this study was to investigate a perspective analysis about the effects of construction of the dam on the Sirvan River in Iran. A sample of 273 rural households was selected using Cochran’s formula by use of multi stage sampling technique. In the mentioned villages, 36 key-informants were selected and interviewed. The results showed that the residents of rural areas were dissatisfied with the construction of the dam. Daryan dam construction in the region, in the social dimension, reduced the components of social capital by nearly 20%; in the economic dimension, reduced the economic components by nearly 24%; but in the infrastructure dimension, has improved the infrastructure of rural areas by only 4%. The results of t-test also show that the effect of dam construction in both economic and social dimensions was significant from the viewpoint of villagers and key-informants. The research results show significant negative effects of dam construction on social capital, trust and social participation. The viewpoint of villagers and key informants Daryan dam construction reduced the area under cultivation and production of the villagers of the region. However, in terms of infrastructure indicators, it has not been able to create positive and significant effects on the well-being of the villagers in the region.