1. The Three Gorges Dam

2. China

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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

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

8. 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

9. 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%

10. The Dam Now

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

12. 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

13. 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

14. The Gorges Now

15. Qutang Gorge

16. Wu Gorge

17. Xiling Gorge

18. 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

19. The Reservoir Coming Soon

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. Anthropological Sites

24. 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

25. 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

26. Fengdu in 2003

27. Fengdu in 2009

28. 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

29. 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