Dams significantly reduce the flow of rivers downstream
Multiple hydrological studies demonstrate that dams and associated water diversions significantly alter and reduce downstream river flow volumes.
The retrieved papers consistently report that dams, reservoirs, and weirs alter natural hydrological regimes and substantially decrease water flow in downstream river reaches.
Ognjen Bonacci, Tanja Roje‐Bonacci. The influence of hydroelectrical development on the flow regime of the karstic river Cetina. 2002. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.1190
The study demonstrates that hydropower development and reservoir operations on the Cetina River drastically reduced downstream mean annual discharges from 100 m3/s to under 10 m3/s.
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Matthew P. McCartney, Abeyu Shiferaw, Yilma Seleshi. Estimating environmental flow requirements downstream of the Chara Chara weir on the Blue Nile River. 2009. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.7254
The paper notes that the operation of the Chara Chara weir and diversions significantly reduced water flow downstream over the Tis Issat Falls on the Blue Nile River.
A. Uday Kumar, K. V. Jayakumar. Assessment of hydrological alteration and environmental flow requirements for Srisailam dam on Krishna River, India. 2018. https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2018.203
The research on the Krishna River shows that impoundment by the Srisailam dam decreases high flows and considerably reduces mean annual flow downstream.
Nukazawa K, Tanaka R, Mineda H. Importance of Flow Metrics on Modeling Macroinvertebrate Community in Dammed Rivers: An Approach With Optimized Gradient Boosting.. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.72411
The study highlights that river flow downstream of hydropower dams on the Omaru River is reduced to residual flow, significantly altering habitats.
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