INDEPTH: CHINA
China's Three Gorges: Power to the people or environmental catastrophe?
CBC News Online | Updated January 17, 2005
BACKGROUND
China's massive Three Gorges hydroelectric project has generated plenty of controversy from the start. It was first proposed in 1919 by revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen as a way of providing energy to fuel the nation's industrial development. The plan was revived in 1954 as a way to control the chronic overflow of the legendary Yangtze river after tens of thousands were killed in widespread flooding. After several false starts, work began in earnest in 1979.
Advocates say China's development depends on it. They say it will provide a clean source of energy for future generations. But critics say it could be a monumental ecological disaster.
The dam's sluice gates were closed on June 1, 2003, allowing the reservoir behind it to begin filling. By June 10, 2003, the water was 135 metres deep, and it's expected to be 175 metres deep by 2009.
PROS
Energy: The dam is expected to generate 85 billion kilowatt hours of electricity a year – one-ninth of China's power. That's the equivalent of 50 million tons of coal a year, 25 million tons of crude oil or 15 nuclear power plants.
Advocates say having an alternative energy source will lower greenhouse gas emissions, and officials say the power is crucial to developing the country's interior.
Thoroughfare: Planners hope that dam's extensive lock system will enable 10,000-ton ships to travel to the interior, boosting trade and development.
Flooding: Officials say the dam will help control the chronic flooding of the 6,300-kilometre-long Yangtze River, the world's third-longest.
In the last century the river's annual floods have killed about 300,000 people.
Experts say the dam will reduce the frequency of flooding disasters from once a decade to once a century.
CONS
Resettlement: About 1.3 million people will eventually be relocated from 1,400 villages in the area. By June 2003, 720,000 people, from farmers to fishermen, had been displaced. In addition to the hardship of resettlement, critics say people are being moved to far less fertile land.
Pollution: The resettled people have left dozens of deserted towns in their wake. The buildings include hospitals and abandoned industrial sites. Environmentalists say refuse from those sites will seep out and contaminate the water.
Ecology/Archeology: Climate experts say the humidity and temperature will increase around the dam, causing unknown impact to the ecosystem. The Yangtze basin supports fish, wild fowl and plants, some of which are endangered.
The area slated to be submerged is famous for its breathtaking scenery and is home to archeological sites including burial grounds and ancient temples.
Efficiency: Critics say a series of smaller dams would have fulfilled the country's energy needs with less impact on the environment.
Corruption: The project has been plagued by charges of nepotism and inefficiency. After a number of high-profile accidents, the government ordered much of the infrastructure replaced in 1999.
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Background on the pre-existing tension between China and Japan from The Hour.
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