Assessment of social and environmental impacts of coastal reservoirs

Water is essential for the global population's domestic, agricultural and industrial purposes. Water shortage and its associated issues are projected to worsen with the population growth. Among many innovative solutions, coastal reservoir (CR) may be one of the feasible solutions. Many CRs have been constructed around the world. It is necessary to systematically analyze the environmental/social impacts of these coastal reservoirs, and the results should be compared with other solutions like desalination plants, wastewater treatment and reuse, dams, reservoirs, inter-basin water diversion and rainwater tanks etc. The world largest scientific database "Web of Science" and "google imagine" have been used as a tool for comparison. The results show that coastal reservoirs can be socially beneficial and have the potential to increase tourism within a region and thus hold economic value for communities. Good practice, policy and care can ensure the feasibility of coastal reservoirs as a future fresh water resource.