Word: dammed
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...disastrous consequences. Forests are vital watersheds that absorb excess moisture and anchor topsoil. Deforestation contributed to the recent droughts in Africa and the devastating mud slides in Rio de Janeiro last year. In Costa Rica topsoil eroded from bald hills has greatly shortened the life of an expensive hydroelectric dam. Alvaro Umana, Costa Rica's Minister of Industry, Energy and Mines, estimated that the surrounding watershed might have been protected 20 years ago for a cost of $5 million. Now the government must reforest the watershed at ten times that price...
...rise by 3 ft. to 5 ft. over the next century, as some scientists have predicted? One option would be to construct levees and dikes. The Netherlands, after all, has flourished more than 12 ft. below sea level for hundreds of years. Its newest bulwark is a 5.6-mile dam made up of 131-ft. steel locks that remain open during normal conditions, to preserve the tidal flow that feeds the rich local sea life, but can be closed when rough weather threatens. Venice is beginning to put into place a 1.2-mile flexible seawall that would protect its treasured...
...such attempts to keep the dam from bursting are not enough. What Mexico now needs is a commitment by the U.S. and other governments, along with bankers and multilateral organizations, to extend the repayment periods of the existing loans, so that Mexicans are not forced to postpone badly-needed services and internal investment to pay off the debt and to keep the U.S. dollar down. Foreign governments must also resist pressure for protectionist legislation which would cripple the export possibilities of Mexico and the other debtor nations in Latin America...
Outside the powerhouse, near the dam, Buckley beams. He is hearing his favorite sound. Despite all his reservations about the bureaucratic process, he is upbeat. "They've taken a lot of the fun out of it," he says quietly, watching the black water roiling into white foam as it cascades over the steep rock cataract, "but it's still definitely worth doing...
Botha also pledged South Africa's help in restarting Mozambique's giant Cahora Bassa hydroelectric-power dam project, whose transmission lines have been repeatedly sabotaged by the Renamo insurgents since the facility was built in 1975. That promise showed both neighborliness and self-interest, since the dam's chief customer will be South Africa. Altogether, the encounter may have reflected a new willingness on the part of Pretoria to pursue conciliatory policies toward its black neighbors abroad while continuing to crack down on opponents of apartheid at home...