The Three Gorges Dam Yangtze River-China

Location of the Three Gorges Dam On the Chang Jiang River (Yangtze) at Sandouping where Qutang, Wu and Xiling gorges occur in close proximity

Detailed Location Map of the Three Gorges Dam

Origins of the Project A dam first proposed at this site by Sun Yat-sen, the founder of modern China in 1919 Further discussed during the 1950s Feasibility studies undertaken during the 1980s Serious floods of 1991 influenced the decision to go ahead with the project Sun Yat-sen

One of the main reasons for construction is flood control – look at how many of the worst floods have occurred in China.

Phase One Preparatory Work Phase Two Ship Elevator, Ship Locks and North Bank Generators Project to be completed in 3 Phases

Phase Three 2004 – 2009 South Bank Generators and Dam built to final height of 185 metres Except the ship lift, all the original plan of the project was completed by Oct. 30, 2008 Project to be completed in 3 Phases

Model of the Three Gorges Dam Power Stations Spillway Ship Elevator Series of 5 locks for larger vessels River Yangtze

The Qutang Gorge The furthest upstream of the three gorges and also known as the Wind Box Gorge 8 Kilometres long and 150 metres at its widest point Limestone peaks on the sides are 1,200 metres above sea level

The Wu Gorge The middle of the three gorges, 45 kilometres long and the one with the most dramatic scenery Much of this spectacular scenery was lost when the lake behind the dam reached its final level of 175 metres

The Xiling Gorge The furthest downstream of the gorges and extends for 76 kilometres from Badong County to Yichang The Yangtze here is fast flowing, turbulent and has many dangerous rapids

Facts and Figures Dam Height 185 metres Dam length 2.3 kilometres Width at top 18 metres Width at base 124 metres Reservoir length 800 kilometres Workforce 30,000

Ship locks allow vessels up to 10,000 tonnes to pass through the Three Gorges Area The 10 locks are arranged in two rows of 5 Opened June 16 th 2003

Each lock is 280 metres long, 35 metres wide and 5 metres deep It takes between 2.5 and 3 hours to navigate the sequence of 5 locks

The Ship Elevator allows vessels up to 3,000 tonnes to be raised or lowered over the dam in just 42 minutes

Cost of the Three Gorges Dam Estimates vary between $24 and $30 Billion If costs of resettlement and corruption are also included the figure is somewhere between $72 and $80 Billion!

Cost met by taxes on electricity consumption and revenue from the first phase units now operating Cost of the Three Gorges Dam

Electricity Generation Largest HEP plant ever 50% more capacity than Itaipu in Brazil 22.5 gigawatt maximum capacity Will supply about 1/10 th of China’s energy needs Will supply an urban area with approx 60 million population H.E.P. Turbine

Before and After

Finally Completed!

As the lake fills up the best quality agricultural land adjacent to the old course of the Yangtze will be lost forever Farmers are being relocated to higher ground with steeper slopes and thinner soils which are not as productive Average width of lake is 1.3 km wide

On completion the lake submerged: 13 Cities 140 Towns 1,352 Villages 1,600 Factories 30,000 hectares of farmland

175 metre level – highest level to which flood water can rise to safely 156 metre level – expected level to contain most floodwaters 135 metre level – Level of the dam after the completion of Phase Two Expected rise in water level after dam wall work completed in May 2006 Rising Water Levels in the Three Gorges Dam

New high level roads and bridges were constructed across numerous tributary gorges to improve the infrastructure The higher concrete arch bridge above and the suspension bridge to the right are new additions to the Chang River

Many peasants had to dismantle their homes and transport all the building materials themselves up to higher ground above the 175 metre lake level Reports of inadequate compensation and poorly organised and unsympathetic re-location destinations were common Re-Settlement – Do-It-Yourself Style!

Re-Settlement 13 new towns created to replace those submerged such as Wushan and Wanzian Ling Bao village a model re-settlement centre located approx 30km from Yichang in Hubei Provence

Lesser gorges will also be flooded to considerable depths Current water level is now just 2 metres below the top of this bridge, which had to be demolished

China is heavily reliant on coal for electricity generation Currently 80% of China’s electricity needs are met by coal-fired power stations such as the one above China has the largest reserves of coal in the world China is currently developing oil, gas, nuclear, H.E.P. and other alternative energies in order to fuel rapid economic growth of 9% per annum

Desperate need for sewage and waste treatment plants The Government allocated over $4 billion to construct 200 sewage and waste treatment plants in the reservoir area and upstream by 2010…however there are still issues with pollution.

Benefits 1 – Flood Protection against a 1 in 100 year flood This will save lives and livelihoods in the densely populated Jingjiang and Dongting Lake Plains

Benefits 2 – Improvement in Navigation 5,000 tonne vessels will be able to reach Chongqing all year round and 10,000 tonne vessels will have access for six months Lake is deeper when floodwater is being stored mainly from May to October

Benefits 3 – Chongqing to develop as a major port A boom town and deep water port located 3,200 km from the sea. Will develop as an industrial hub for China’s economic growth during the next decade Other major growth points will be at Pudong, Wichan and Yiching. Economy now growing at 9% per year

Benefits 4 – Reduction in Air Pollution Between 40 and 50 million tonnes of coal will be saved each year by being substituted by hydroelectric power from the Three Gorges Dam This is the equivalent of 25 million barrels of oil per year or the output of 15 nuclear power stations This will help with meeting China’s targets for greenhouse gas emissions and also reduce the amount of acid rain received in Japan!

Benefits 5 – Improved water supply Water supply improvement for towns in the valley and also to the water short Northern Plains via Danjiangkou Reservoir to Beijing Danjiangkou Reservoir Canal links Three Gorges Reservoir to Danjiangkou Reservoir

Increased scour is likely to occur downstream from the dam Large bank protection works may be needed in the middle reaches of the Yangtze Disadvantages 1

Loss of Agricultural land The most fertile cropland and areas of citrus groves will be submerged It will result in rural to urban migration for many, some of whom will lack the necessary skills and mind- set to cope with new jobs Disadvantages 2

Loss of Chinese Cultural Heritage 1200 sites submerged including temples and historical monuments Relatively few saved Disadvantages 3

Reservoir will begin to silt up from the upstream end Disadvantages 4 Constant dredging will be necessary to maintain navigable water depths particularly for the larger vessels up to 10,000 tonnes

The sheer weight of the water held behind the Three Gorges Dam is sufficient to reactivate old faults that run beneath the 650 km long lake This could destabilise the dam which may lead to its eventual failure Seismic activity is likely to generate landslides on steeper slopes Slope stabilization is necessary in some areas of new settlement e.g. Zigui Induced Seismicity Disadvantages 5 Rotational slump triggered by magnitude 3 earthquake

Species under threat from the dam project A number of organisms are threatened with extinction due to the construction of the Three Gorges Dam The Chinese Paddlefish The Siberian Crane The Chinese River Dolphin Disadvantages 6

Disadvantages 7 Potential sources of water pollution in the reservoir area Pollution will increase as water flow is reduced Sewage and industrial effluent from human activity around the reservoir edges Toxic materials from submerged factories, waste dumps, cemeteries and millions of poisoned rats will gradually seep into the waters of the reservoir Water Pollution

Decrease in tourism likely as reservoir reaches its maximum level Final height of reservoir level in 2009 Loss of spectacular scenery Decrease in water quality due to pollution Increased congestion due to large volume of industrial traffic Disadvantages 8

Abandoned Village close to the edge of the 135 metre lake level In total it is estimated that 2 million people will have to abandon their homes and traditional ways of life Communities will be split up and some ancient traditions and culture will probably be lost forever * Disadvantages 9

Areas downstream of Dam will have a reduction in the amount of alluvium deposited when natural flooding occurs This will lead to declining soil fertility unless fertilizers are added Disadvantages 10

The Three Gorges Dam – A potential target? In the event of China going to war, the dam would be a prime target for attack In the war against terrorism, it may also be a vulnerable and prestigious target Disadvantages 11

Was there an Alternative? Would China have been better off building several smaller dams? Electricity generated by the dam comes at great human, financial and ecological cost.

Get Me Outta Here ! The End