The Three Gorges Dam- China

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• Josh Poland
• Ben Cowman
• Ken Coffey
• Chris Riordon
• Rachel Diamond

Background Information:

     "Harnessing the power of the Yangtze has been a goal since Nationalist leader Sun Yat-sen first proposed the idea in 1919" (Scientific American).  When the opportunity finally arose in 1992, the government pursued Mao's plans to do just that.

     The Three Gorges Dam project is the world's largest and most expensive hydroelectric project, producing 18,000 megawatts of power and with a pricetag estimated at $24 billion dollars. Located on the Yangtze river in China, in Zhongxian county, the dam was completed in 2009, built 600 feet high and a mile and a half across. The project was supposed to bring relief to the mounting energy demands of China's growing population and address issues with downstream flooding. The dam is part of an initiative to increase non-carbon emitting power sources from 7 to 15 percent by 2020. It is also supposed to help prevent flood damage for 15 million people residing downstream along the river and make it more navigable. However, this project comes at a huge cost.

     The project will force 1.3 million people living in the soon-to-be reservoir to relocate their homes, farms, and heritage. Ancient temples and isolated villages were drowned and little compensation, a small plot of land and as little as $7 US dollars a month, was provided for those forced to leave. What makes it most difficult for these people is that they have not just lost lost their means of survival, farming and fishing, but they have also lost their communities and rich historical heritage. "In his 2007 report to the National People's Congress, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said that China had relocated 22.9 million people to make room for its large hydroprojects" (Scientific American).

     Not only does the reservoir have an immediate impact on those forced to move, but the dam has many potential environmental impacts that could further threaten the livlihoods of the populations in the area.

     Early warning signs came when the reservoir was filled part of the way and resulted in landslides that killed at least 44 people in two separate incidents. The landslides, a result of stress on the earth from the highly fluctuating water levels, are a signal towards the even greater danger of an earthquake. The dam lies on two major faults, the Jiuwanxi and the Zigui–Badong, which could be strained by the fluctuating water levels and induce an earthquake. China already attrubutes multiple earthquakes each year to dam reservoirs.

     The dramatic change in landscape also threatens many endangered species and overall biodiversity by flooding habitats, reducing flow to others, and altering weather patterns. Scientists have seen a 75% drop in spepcies populations in some areas and others warn that disrupted breeding patterns may result in certain species disappearing very suddenly. Pollution from sedimentation and development have also created an epidemic of schistosomiasis, a blood parasite and the original claim that the dam would help flooding has also gone awry as the region now faces severe drought.

Victimizers:

The Chinese Government, specifically the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) , has long been known for its innumerable human rights violations. The Three Gorges Dam, hailed as a wonder by the western world and a saving grace for China, has been a large contribution to China's list of victims.

No matter how many lives are lost, as long as it's for the good of China, its ok. Though China has recently been moving away from the Mass theories presented by Chinese figure Mao Zedong, the power of the CCP over the government still retains an iron grip on the people. Productivity has been the primary concern in the past years as China has enjoyed a GDP growth rate of over 10%. The benefits are enjoyed by all members of society. (The ones still alive and free)

Though Chinese officials have admitted potential for ecological 'catastrophe' (theage.com) and maybe even made some efforts to slow the rate of environmental destruction, there is no doubt that the Chinese Government intends to complete the project in a timely fashion. Catastrophe is a minor price to pay in order to increase productivity of the entire western half of China.

Military use is abundant in the protection of the Chinese interests. Many farmers might try to rise up and stop the construction or possibly even refuse to move from their land. This, of course, is unacceptable. Also, environmentalist groups often speak out or try to damage the project. If the project is to be completed on time, such protesters must be removed.

China will most undoubtedly be the most revered icon of western progress when such a large sustainable source of energy is harnessed.

Three Gorges Project Development Corporation

Director of Construction: Wang Xiaofeng

Planned dam to power Western China. Predicted Completion by 2009.

Chinese officials stress benefits of the dam: reduced flooding, creation of navigable reservoir, and carbon-free energy.

Victims:

Even though the Three Gorges Dam has been able to save 50 million tons of coal from being burned each year, it has also affected many other aspects, such as the environment and many communities.

When the dam was built about 1.4 million people had to relocate and build new homes and find new ways to make a living because most of their farmland or resources had been destroyed.

The Dam was originally seen as a way to stop flooding in the area. Instead it has created massive amounts erosion and flooding. The government said that they could face a "catastrophe" if these problems continue and are not fixed. Ecosystems around the areas are being hurt badly each day and habitats have greatly depleated. One negative aspect of the dam is that it has built up tons of sediments and nutrients, which has reduced the fish populations and other species within the water. The Chinese River Dolphin and the Chinese Paddlefish are almost extinct because of their habitat destruction caused by the dam.

There are other aspects that have been affected that people might not have realized, such as the valuable archaelogical sites that have been destroyed. It has also greatly affected the overall scenery for the surrounding communities. Another problem that has not been dealt with is that there are many industrial sites that have not been cleared of toxic waste and there is a potential that it will reach the reservoir and be captured in the dam creating many health hazards for communities in the area.  In 2003, the dam rose so high as a result of the summer floods that the dam eventually overflowed and destroyed more than 100 towns and many people had to leave with no job or home.

Issues:

People:

Chinese and people of many backgrounds are being displaced because of the massive reservoir that will be created. Reservoir would be 525' deep and over 370 miles long. All kinds of cities and other homes would be destroyed by the rising waters as the dam becomes online. Many issues with ancestors and burial grounds were created because the Chinese culture bases a lot on previous generations and burial grounds would be covered up by the massive reservoir. Millions of farmers would be displaced and their homes would be covered by water. Entire cities would get flooded as well and some of the cities were even demolished so that ships could go over without running aground. This destroyed all kinds of Chinese culture and ruined many families plans.

Government:

Government was looking for a reliable way to curb flood issues as well create an efficient means of power generation. Project was initially looked into in 1919 and continued to be developed well into the 1990's. A dam was decided to be the best method and locks needed to be created to allow ships to pass through so that the trade routs would not be affected.

Resolution:

     The Chinese government refuses to admit the negative ecological implications that have already resulted from the dam. It is predicted that even earthquakes and seismic activity will occur in coming years because of the dam's proximity to faults. According to Scientific American, the Chinese government "will spend an additional $3.2 billion on water cleanup over the next three years." The government's goal is to have the reservoir up to its capacity by 2009. However, much of the problems related to the dam relate to the scale from high influx of water to a almost drought conditions. These varying conditions contribute to many of the problems. Overall, the Chinese government has relocated 22.9 million people in all of its largest hydropower projects.

Works Cited

"One Dam thing after another", Economist

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=12&hid=15&sid=4f98b3ce-8692-459a-adee-cd54f43cef14%40sessionmgr7&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=27342361

Kowositz, John "Facts about the Three Gorges Dam"

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=11&hid=15&sid=4f98b3ce-8692-459a-adee-cd54f43cef14%40sessionmgr7&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=12583498

http://www.ctgpc.com/

NPR. "China's Three Gorges: Assessing the Impact"

Three part Series:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17723829

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17784497

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17810431

Scientific American. "China's Three Gorges Dam: An Environmental Catastrophe?"

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=chinas-three-gorges-dam-disaster

http://mwcnews.net/content/view/17341&Itemid=1

http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/three-gorges-dam-could-be-huge-disaster/2007/09/26/1190486394786.html

http://american.edu/TED/threedam.htm

http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/contents/07spe/specrep01.html#Environmental