China’s Three Gorges Dam
Three Gorges Dam nears completion Seth Rosenblatt © 2006
China’s three gorges Dam
A mo Del of t he PAst he Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River is the world’s largest and most controversial hydropower project. The 660 kilometer-long reservoir displaced 1.3 million people and is wreaking havoc on the environment. The reservoir reached its final height in 2009, but many of its impacts are only now becoming apparent. China will deal with the project’s legacy for generations to come.
Project supporters celebrate the Three Gorges Dam as a symbol of China’s economic and technological progress. They point out that the power plant substitutes the burning of more than 30 million tons of coal every year, and has greatly improved navigation on the Yangtze River. They also claim that the project has made devastating floods in the Yangtze Valley a thing of the past, and has improved the quality of life of the resettled population. According to former President Jiang Zemin, the dam “embodies the great industrious spirit of the Chinese nation.” The Three Gorges Dam was first championed by chairman Mao Zedong in the 1950s, and a feasibility study was commissioned in 1986. Leading scientists warned about the project’s environmental risks, but were silenced after the massacre on Tiananmen Square in 1989. In 1992, the National People’s Congress – China’s toothless parliament – approved project construction with a record number of abstentions. Dam construction began in 1994 and was completed twelve years later. The power plant, with a capacity of 18,200 MW, became fully operational ahead of schedule in October 2008. The water level in the Three Gorges reservoir reached its final height one year later. Six additional generators are currently being installed; the expansion of the project is expected to be completed in 2012.
Resettlement without Rights
T
The Three Gorges Dam, situated in the densely populated Yangtze Valley, is the world’s largest resettlement project.
China’s three gorges Dam
A mo Del of t he PAst he Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River is the world’s largest and most controversial hydropower project. The 660 kilometer-long reservoir displaced 1.3 million people and is wreaking havoc on the environment. The reservoir reached its final height in 2009, but many of its impacts are only now becoming apparent. China will deal with the project’s legacy for generations to come.
Project supporters celebrate the Three Gorges Dam as a symbol of China’s economic and technological progress. They point out that the power plant substitutes the burning of more than 30 million tons of coal every year, and has greatly improved navigation on the Yangtze River. They also claim that the project has made devastating floods in the Yangtze Valley a thing of the past, and has improved the quality of life of the resettled population. According to former President Jiang Zemin, the dam “embodies the great industrious spirit of the Chinese nation.” The Three Gorges Dam was first championed by chairman Mao Zedong in the 1950s, and a feasibility study was commissioned in 1986. Leading scientists warned about the project’s environmental risks, but were silenced after the massacre on Tiananmen Square in 1989. In 1992, the National People’s Congress – China’s toothless parliament – approved project construction with a record number of abstentions. Dam construction began in 1994 and was completed twelve years later. The power plant, with a capacity of 18,200 MW, became fully operational ahead of schedule in October 2008. The water level in the Three Gorges reservoir reached its final height one year later. Six additional generators are currently being installed; the expansion of the project is expected to be completed in 2012.
Resettlement without Rights
T
The Three Gorges Dam, situated in the densely populated Yangtze Valley, is the world’s largest resettlement project.