| Chapter 1: | Water Resources Development and Management in Sub-Saharan Africa |
|
|
on, promoting the growth of large urban centers and industries, improving hygiene and controlling disease, mitigating floods, and providing power for both domestic and industrial needs. Irrigated agriculture is typically the dominant user of water in arid and semiarid areas (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2005).
Trends in Dam Construction
Over the past three decades, the focus on large-scale water development worldwide has declined substantially. The construction of large dams, a common method for water control and development, highlights this point. As shown in figure 1.1, large dam construction exploded after World War II. By the 1960s, the rate of growth began to slow and by the 1980s the number of new dams constructed each year actually began to fall, further
Figure 1.1. Large dam construction by decade, from before 1900 to the 1990s.
Source. World Commission on Dams (2000).