The Three Gorges Dam will consist of a 610-foot high wall running 1.3 miles from bank to bank.
The reservoir created by the backflow of the dam will extend 360 miles up river to Chongqing ("Chong-ching"), a distance equal to nearly half the length of California.
Once operational, the dam will produce the energy of 15 nuclear power plants.
The project is estimated to be completed in 2009 at a cost of over $30 billion.
In the past 2,000 years, the Yangtze River has experienced 215 catastrophic floods.
In 1998 flooding in the area expected to be controlled by the dam resulted in 4,000 dead, 14 million left homeless and $24 billion in economic loss.
When the dam is completed, 13 cities, 140 towns and over 1,300 villages will be submerged by the Three Gorges Reservoir.
To make way for the Three Gorges Dam, 1.5 million people will have to abandon their homes. More than 160,000 citizens have already been relocated.
Upon the dam's completion, 1,300 known archeological sites will be lost forever under water.
Over 265 billion gallons of raw sewage are dumped into the Yangtze annually. Currently the river flushes this downstream and out into the ocean. Upon completion of the Three Gorges project, the sewage will back up in the reservoir.
Over 1,600 factories and abandoned mines will be submerged when the dam is completed. Environmentalists predict that toxins associated with industry and mining will create a hazard for the animals and people who depend on the river for survival.
Over 700 million tons of sediment are deposited into the Yangtze annually, making it the fourth largest sediment carrier in the world. Experts believe that this sediment will build up behind the dam, with only an unproven system of sluice gates to release it.
Over 360 million people live within the watershed of the Yangtze River. If the one in one thousand chance of a dam collapse occured, the millions of people who live downstream would be endangered.
International Rivers Network © Eureka Cartography, Berkeley, CA
http://www.pbs.org/itvs/greatwall/dam1.html
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Advantages of the Three Gorges Dam
http://www.lawlibrary.co.za/notice/updates/2006/images/threegorgesdam_china_bbcnews.jpgThe main reason why this dam was built was because of the floods that killed many people near the Yangzi for several years. For example, In 1954, 47.75 million acres of land were flooded, killing 33,000 people and forcing 18,000,000 people to move. The flood covered Wuhan, a city with 8 million people, and every facility was out of order for over three months. Not only this, but also in 1998, a flood in the same area caused damage in the range of billions of dollars. This Three Gorges dam will minimize the impact of upcoming major floods in the future.
The Three Gorges Dam is the world’s largest hydro-electric power plant, containing 32 generators in total. By this, China is already producing an enormous scale of power energy and it is importing one third of its energy needs. Because the production capacity is gigantic, it also contributes advantages protecting the environment. The Three Gorges Dam potentially reduces the coal consumption by 31 million tons per year, cutting the emission of 100 million tons of greenhouse gas, and significant amount of mercury into the atmosphere.
Shipping navigation would be improved from 10 million to 50 million annually, reducing 30% of the shipping fee. The navigation through the Yangtze would be much safer than the past because of the dense security that would be set up for the commercials. This shipping is not only for business purposes, but also for tourism. The project has received a major spotlight from all over the world, so it’s inevitable to stop tourist eager to see the massive artificial creation.
"Three Gorges Dam." Imperial tours. Imperial tours. 20 May 2008. .
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Article:Three Gorges project reduces 200 mln tonnes of greenhouse gas emission
YICHANG, Hubei Province, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Three Gorges Project, the world's biggest hydroelectric plant, has helped China reduce emitting 200 million tonnes of carbon dioxide as of Friday.
The power plant has generated 223 billion kwh of electricity since its first generating units began operation in 2003, also avoiding the emission of 2.29 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide, according to the China Three Gorges Project Corporation.
Chinese coal-fired power plants would have burned about 90 million tonnes of coal to produce the same amount of electricity, the developer and operator of the dam project said.
The company said improved navigation capacity along the dam area also contributed to reduction in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission.
The Three Gorges, which consist of the Qutang, Wuxia and Xiling gorges, extends for about 200 kilometers on the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the longest in China. They are a popular tourist destination, known for their natural beauty and historical and cultural relics.
China launched the Three Gorges Project, a multifunction water control facility, in 1993, with a budget of 22.5 billion U.S. dollars.
According to the original plan, the project requires the construction of key facilities, including a gigantic dam, a five-tier lock, a ship lift and 26 turbo-generators. It has involved the relocation of at least 1.2 million residents.
The 26 turbogenerators -- 14 on the northern bank and 12 on the southern bank -- have a designed annual capacity of 84.7 billion kwh of electricity.
The project is expected to greatly reduce the threat of floods on the Yangtze.
To date, workers have completed installation of 22 generators on both banks of the Yangtze.
"Three Gorges project reduces 200 mln tonnes of greenhouse gas emission ." Xinhua Net. 9 May 2008. Xinhua News Agency. 20 May 2008.
The power plant has generated 223 billion kwh of electricity since its first generating units began operation in 2003, also avoiding the emission of 2.29 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide, according to the China Three Gorges Project Corporation.
Chinese coal-fired power plants would have burned about 90 million tonnes of coal to produce the same amount of electricity, the developer and operator of the dam project said.
The company said improved navigation capacity along the dam area also contributed to reduction in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission.
The Three Gorges, which consist of the Qutang, Wuxia and Xiling gorges, extends for about 200 kilometers on the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the longest in China. They are a popular tourist destination, known for their natural beauty and historical and cultural relics.
China launched the Three Gorges Project, a multifunction water control facility, in 1993, with a budget of 22.5 billion U.S. dollars.
According to the original plan, the project requires the construction of key facilities, including a gigantic dam, a five-tier lock, a ship lift and 26 turbo-generators. It has involved the relocation of at least 1.2 million residents.
The 26 turbogenerators -- 14 on the northern bank and 12 on the southern bank -- have a designed annual capacity of 84.7 billion kwh of electricity.
The project is expected to greatly reduce the threat of floods on the Yangtze.
To date, workers have completed installation of 22 generators on both banks of the Yangtze.
"Three Gorges project reduces 200 mln tonnes of greenhouse gas emission ." Xinhua Net. 9 May 2008. Xinhua News Agency. 20 May 2008
Problems with the Dam
Click the image to enlarge.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2007/11/19/world/asia/choking_on_growth_4.html#story4 http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2007/11/19/world/asia/choking_on_growth_4.html
“We don’t know about winter,” she said.
“This is the only option we have. What else can we do?”
The momentousness of the problem is as massive as the size of the dam. Of course, all major projects are followed by both positive and negative consequences, but the scale of the issues is tremendously controversial. Three clashes that are discussed: Environmental issues, displacements, and the cash. Interestingly, these issues aren’t separate, but interrelated in a way that makes it even bigger as one.
The Chinese government officials admitted that the construction has caused major water pollution and land slides, and it doesn’t seem to be any better as time flows. Also, because of the continuous usage of coal-fired power plants, it is deteriorating the egregious condition of air pollution of China and produce greenhouse gas emission incessantly. Not only it’s affecting the realm above, but it’s also bringing devastating effects down on earth. In the beginning of the construction, they had to carve the landscapes around the Yangtze and destroyed many ecosystems that contained many species at that time. Now, myriad of animals are endangered as well as the number of residents are reduced on the land.
This is how displacement related. According to the article of New York Times, “The upward migration also damaged the environment. Farmers cleared land to plant crops or rows of orange trees. Deforestation contributed to soil erosion and destabilized many hillsides. Today, construction crews are busy reinforcing crumbling hillsides above the reservoir with concrete. In the mountains, soil erosion is endemic.” Because of dearth of land during the process, the government had to displace more than 300,000 people, and these people had to clear more lands for housing and farming. As much as people were moved, majority of people returned to the land because they were perplexed about their blurry future and compensation that is not enough to cover the living of their families. How is the government going to solve this problem?
The Chinese government officials admitted that the construction has caused major water pollution and land slides, and it doesn’t seem to be any better as time flows. Also, because of the continuous usage of coal-fired power plants, it is deteriorating the egregious condition of air pollution of China and produce greenhouse gas emission incessantly. Not only it’s affecting the realm above, but it’s also bringing devastating effects down on earth. In the beginning of the construction, they had to carve the landscapes around the Yangtze and destroyed many ecosystems that contained many species at that time. Now, myriad of animals are endangered as well as the number of residents are reduced on the land.
This is how displacement related. According to the article of New York Times, “The upward migration also damaged the environment. Farmers cleared land to plant crops or rows of orange trees. Deforestation contributed to soil erosion and destabilized many hillsides. Today, construction crews are busy reinforcing crumbling hillsides above the reservoir with concrete. In the mountains, soil erosion is endemic.” Because of dearth of land during the process, the government had to displace more than 300,000 people, and these people had to clear more lands for housing and farming. As much as people were moved, majority of people returned to the land because they were perplexed about their blurry future and compensation that is not enough to cover the living of their families. How is the government going to solve this problem?
Yardley, Jim . "Chinese Dam Projects Criticized for Their Human Costs ." New York Times 19 Nov 2007 20 May 2008 .
Monday, May 26, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
General information about Three Gorges dam
http://www.eoearth.org/media/approved/1/10/Three_gorges_dam.gifThree Gorges Dam is known for the largest hydroelectric power generator in the world, which would be completely finished by the year of 2009. First of all, the size of the dam proves the title itself because it is vivid from space like the Great Wall of China. The dam is constructed on the world longest river, the Yangtze, that is running across the country of China. According to the article from ScienceDaily, “The sheer size and power of the dam is mind-boggling. At a construction cost of at least $625 billion, it is roughly 1.4 miles (2.3 kilometers) long and 607 feet tall, five times larger than Hoover Dam on the Arizona-Nevada border.” Planning this project was as massive as the size because of the cost and the amount of problems they’ve encountered during the process. However, the benefits that the dam will bring would definitely influence the economy and the lives of the people after the completion, because it will be constructed to store more than 5 trillion gallons of water and to produce more than 18,000 megawatts of electricity when all 26 turbines begin to work.
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. "NASA Satellites Watch As China Constructs Giant Dam." ScienceDaily 13 June 2007. 20 May 2008.
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. "NASA Satellites Watch As China Constructs Giant Dam." ScienceDaily 13 June 2007. 20 May 2008
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