Protect communities from floods and droughts

Protect communities from floods and droughts

Beyond generating electricity, hydropower provides vital freshwater management for homes, agriculture, businesses and communities. Nearly 40% of hydropower dams worldwide provide multiple non-energy services.

The management of freshwater is one of our biggest challenges in a world affected by climate change. With extreme weather events growing in frequency, floods and droughts are becoming an ever-present threat to livelihoods.

The water storage infrastructure that hydropower provides can safeguard communities and ecosystems during heavy rainfall, and protect water supplies during droughts. These services are increasingly vital in a warming world.

Multipurpose hydropower facilities can also be used to supply drinking water, irrigate farmland and improve water ways navigation.

By harnessing the multiple water benefits that hydropower brings to communities, and retrofitting existing non-power dams to generate electricity, we can make the best possible use of our water and energy resources for future generations. We can, with hydropower.

This article originally appeared on hydropower.org and has been republished here with permission.