The Three Gorges Dam

China

Chang Jiang Means “Long River” Only called the Yangtzee River by westerners Small gorge at the end called Yangtzee Gorge

Chang Jiang Originates in Tibetan Plateau Goes through Chongqing, the Three Gorges, and the fertile flatlands “Land of fish and rice” Dumps into the sea near Shanghai Drains over 700,000 square miles Moves at 62,000 cubic yards per second Annual flooding at 100 foot shifts

Three Gorges Dam Official name Located at the foot of the Three Gorges Chang Jiang Water Transfer Project Located at the foot of the Three Gorges Xiling, Wu and Qutang Official cost is $37 billion

The Dam Itself 1.25 miles across 610 feet high 26 million tons Two locks on north side Five stage 500 foot difference Cranes for smaller ships Completion in 2009

The Reservoir 500 feet deep 404 miles Size of Lake Superior Will extend at least to Chongqing

The Good Hydroelectric power Employs 18,000 workers Replace high-sulfur coal (75% of energy supply) 26 of the world’s largest turbines 400 tons each Generate 18,200 megawatts 10% of China’s current energy needs Equivalent to 40 million tons of coal annually Like 18 nuclear power plants Employs 18,000 workers

The Good Flood Control Boon for business 14 million people displaced in 1998 alone 2000 killed in the same flood Boon for business Deep draft vessels can go as far inland as Chongqing Increased shipping capacity Chiang Jiang currently carries 65% river borne cargo Will increase transport by 400%

The Dam Now

The Bad Lose 115,000 acres of arable land Threaten endangered species Chinese river dolphin Migratory cranes Chinese alligator Giant carp Chinese sturgeon

The Bad Collect ¼ trillion tons of raw sewage Will kill aquatic species Gather huge sediment load Build up around base of dam Clog installations Far outpace dredging operations Sewage backup could affect more than one million people

The Bad Dam will be built on unstable fault line Weight of the water might cause shifts Bureaucratic corruption Over 100 cases in 1999 Might lead to unsafe conditions No foreign investment Too risky Real cost estimated to be closer to $77 billion

The Gorges Now

Qutang Gorge

Wu Gorge

Xiling Gorge

The Ugly Submersion of population centers 13 cities 140 towns 4,500 villages and hamlets Nearly 1000 culturally important sites will be submerged 1½ million people displaced

The Reservoir Coming Soon

The Ugly Displacement Not all bad though People are forced to move into government resettlement cities, as early as now Must destroy home to prevent squatters Some families have been there since the Ming Dynasty Not all bad though Improve quality of living Running water, brick and steel walls

Anthropological Sites 22 known sites in the Three Gorges alone 97 sites along the rest of the Chang Jiang Countless unknown others Excavation effort Around the clock

Anthropological Sites The greatest loss are the Ba sites Earliest known people in China Dating back 4,000 years ago Cannot be studied elswhere Temples & relics that can be moved Done brick by brick to higher ground The rest will be lost

Anthropological Sites

Cities To Be Lost Largest is Wanxian Half will be under water Half will be riverfront property New half is rising further up Signs in the middle of town showing the coming water level

Cities To Be Lost Fengdu Also known as the City of Ghosts Souls are called here to cross bride and either ascend or fall Most of this city will be submerged

Fengdu in 2003

Fengdu in 2009

One More Ugly Citizens are to be compensated for forced relocation $600 American dollars Goes from central government to provincial officials to the county to city bosses Each time money changes hands, a little more is lost to corruption Little to none makes it to individuals

The Three Gorges Dam And So… Will this be a good or bad thing for China? No one knows, the benefits seem to match the pitfalls, and the Chinese have persevered for 5,000 years. Likened to the Great Wall in scope, only time will tell about… The Three Gorges Dam