Sedimentation in small dams. Impacts on the incomes of poor rural communities

It is concluded that a strong link is demonstrated between sedimentation in dams and reduction in livelihood benefits of the poorest sectors of the rural communities. This intuitively obvious result justifies investment in technical studies designed to provide tools that enable future sedimentation rates in small dams to be predicted by local engineers, using the limited data that are available. Sedimentation is a natural and inevitable process. It needs to be considered properly at the site selection and design stage of dam rehabilitation and construction projects if the benefits of small dams are not to be rapidly lost, with potentially devastating impacts on the poorest sections of rural communities.