alternatives to building dams

[anjik]

hi there
i have searched the web for alternatives to building dams in third world country in rural areas, but have not found any useful stuff. please help. i need to know how to provide water for agriculture and produce electricity without building a dam. building big dams destroys the ecosystem along with indigenous people and their knowledge of how the ecosystem works to sustain life there, for all living.

[Essay]

googled: dam control rubber bladders
...to get:

Obermeyer Hydro, Inc. - Spillway Gates, Rubber Dams, Inflatable Dams
OBERMEYER spillway gates are supplied with control systems in accordance with customer requirements. Each control system includes a controlled source of compressed air and a means for controlled venting of air form the air bladders. All automatic systems also include provision for local manual control. With the exception of solar powered systems, each system includes an air compressor, a receiver tank, and various control valves.

Don't know if this would help, but it's a sort of temporary, adjustable, alternative to regular dams.

But I'd think creating managed wetlands would be a better environmental and resource enhancing alternative.

Think waterwheels...
...and perhaps the adjustable dams could help....

~

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

Really would need to know how big the body of water you're trying to harness is.

[Cedars]

Originally Posted by anjik

hi there
i have searched the web for alternatives to building dams in third world country in rural areas, but have not found any useful stuff. please help. i need to know how to provide water for agriculture and produce electricity without building a dam. building big dams destroys the ecosystem along with indigenous people and their knowledge of how the ecosystem works to sustain life there, for all living.

It would help to know whos using the electricity. Are you looking to provide power to say... Rio but not disrupt amazon tribes or are you looking to improve the tribes without too much disruption.

Small generators:
Small hydro - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Roadam]

Well you can build a run of the river hydro plant. As the quantity of the water would probably vary you can just divert excess water to main channel.

But there are a few turbines that do very well with excess water. Banki turbine for example. Or a Stem Pressure Machine :
OWATEC Wasserkraft GmbH - Hydropower made by OWATEC - Germany
Research paper from england uni:
http://www.esha.be/fileadmin/esha_fi...ower_sites.pdf