The environmental effects of dam construction in tropical Africa: Impacts and planning procedures

Dam construction can have significant effects on downstream floodplain environments in tropical Africa. The impacts of river control on floodplain forests in the Tana River Valley in Kenya, and on floodplain agriculture in the Sokoto River Valley in Nigeria are described. The extent to which downstream impacts were understood or predicted in these case studies are described, and the implications of this for environmental appraisal in project planning are assessed.