Dams

As New Yorkers clean up from Hurricane Sandy, they’re also considering what they might do to stop such a storm surge in the future. It’s a common problem facing leaders of cities the world over.

Some 1,000 U.S. dams have been dismantled in the past 100 years — but the pace has definitely been accelerating in recent years. Now, there’s a major initiative underway to take apart old dams that serve little purpose as a way of restoring fish habitat and rebuilding aquatic ecosystems.

The flooding New York City experienced from Sandy could become a more common occurrence as climate change causes sea levels to rise. The World’s Rhitu Chatterjee explores how coastal cities in other countries are protecting themselves from inundation.

If it does get completed, the Belo Monte dam would be the third biggest in the world, flooding 200 square miles of the Amazon.

The government of Myanmar announced Friday it was halting construction of the Myitsone Dam.