Transcript 投影片 1 - The Church of Christ in China Ming Yin College

F.6 Geography Case Study
- Chang Jiang
Cons and Pros of the Three Gorges Project
Introduction
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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.
Facts
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The 16-year project is due to be completed in 2009.
The river's level is expected to rise to 175 metres.
By mid-June 2003 the dam was holding back 12 billion cubic metres of
water. The dam's storage capacity is nearly 40 billion cubic metres.
It will create a 658-sq.-km reservoir.
Its concrete wall is 192 metres high.
It has a total of 22 sluice gates.
It will have 26 700-megawatt turbine generators. They are expected to
produce 18.2 million kilowatts by 2009. Eleven of the reactors were in
place as of January 2005.
It has the world's largest lock system, 6?kilometres in length. The lock
lifts and lowers ships in five stages.
The dam is located in Yichang, in the central province of Hubei.
It's China's biggest engineering project since the Great Wall was built
more than 2,000 years ago.
Total projected cost: 180 billion yuan ($26.5 billion).
Location of ‘Sanxia’
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A man fishes as water flows
through water diversion
holes of the Three Gorges
Dam on the Yangtze River
in central China's Hubei
Province, June 11, 2003.
Some 10 water diversion
holes were opened to
release water. The water
level of the Three Gorges
Reservoir reached 135
metres (433 feet) on June
10. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Du
Huaju)
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Two men carry bricks to a
barge at the temporary dock
at Wushan, in the middle of
the Three Gorges on the
Yangtze River in central
China, June 6, 2003. Lower
lying areas of the town have
been demolished in
preparation for the increase
in the water level as the
controversial Three Gorges
Dam reservoir begins to fill.
(AP Photo/Greg Baker)
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A Chinese man sits in
the rubble of the
demolished old town of
Wushan, as he looks
out over the city's
temporary dock on the
Yangtze River in central
China, June 6, 2003.
(AP Photo/Greg Baker
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Workers build a stone
embankment as water from
the Yangtze River rise up
the shoreline at the newly
built town of Fengjie, in
central China's Chongqing
municipality, June 9, 2003.
The old town of Fengjie was
demolished because it was
below the high water mark
of the reservoir of the Three
Gorges Dam. (AP
Photo/Greg Baker)
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Three young boys watch as
rising waters inundate a corn
field at Qutang Village, near
Fengjie, in central China's
Chongqing municipality, June
9, 2003. Water levels have
been rising between two and
four metres each day since
China began filling the
reservoir. Despite warnings
from local officials that waters
would rise in June, many
farmers planted crops because
they were unsure of where the
high water mark was on their
land, while others did not
believe that waters could rise
so high. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)
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Ships sail through the Xiling
Gorge of the Three Gorges
on the Yangtze River in
central China, June 11,
2003. The water level of the
Three Gorges Reservoir
reached 135 metres (433
feet) June 10, five days
ahead of the schedule. (AP
Photo/Xinhua, Cheng Min)
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The aerial photo, taken
on June 3, 2003, shows
the Three Gorges
Reservoir on the middle
reaches of the Yangtze
River at Yichang, Hubei
province. The water
level reached, as
planned, 114.29 metres
high on the sluice gate.
(AP Photo Xinhua,
Cheng Min)
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Hydroelectric generating
sets of the Three Gorges
Project in central China's
Hubei Province are shown
in this April 9, 2003 photo.
Four of the hydroelectric
generating sets, which are
in the final phase of
installation and test, will be
put into operation later this
year. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Du
Huaju)
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Water flows through water
diversion holes at the
bottom of the Three Gorges
dam, June 1, 2003. China's
Three Gorges Project
officially began to store
water as the sluice gate of
the dam started to be
closed as scheduled. China
began filling the reservoir
behind its gargantuan Three
Gorges Dam in a major step
toward completion of the
world-largest hydroelectric
project. (AP Photo/Xinhua,
Cheng Min)
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A man rushes to board a
boat before it leaves, in
Chongqing city, on the
Yangtze River in central
China, June 5, 2003.
Though more than 600
kilometres (372 miles) from
the Three Gorges Dam,
water levels at Chongqing
will rise up to 15 metres
when the dam's reservoir is
filled to its highest level on
completion in 2009. (AP
Photo/Greg Baker)
PROS
Flood control
The reservoir's 22 km³ (28.9 billion cubic yard)
flood storage capacity will lessen the frequency
of big downstream floods from once every 10
years to once every 100 years. It protects life
and property.
Navigation
The installation of ship locks are intended to
increase river shipping from 10 million to 50
m i l l i o n t o n s a n n u a l l y, w i t h t r a n s p o r t a t i o n
costs cut by 30 to 37 percent. Cheap and
convenient river transport will be provided. Also,
shipping will become safer, since the gorges
have lower flowing speed of channel.
Agriculture
The reservoir stores up the water that can be
diverted to irrigate farmland. It increases crop
production and exports of surplus farm produce,
e.g. citrus fruits.
Energy and Environment
The dam will generate 18,200 megawatts of Hydro
electric power, the equivalent of 18 nuclear power
plants. It will facilitate industrial and economic
development.
 China now relies on coal for ¾ of its electricity. Its air
is among the foulest in the world and contributes to
global warming. Hydro-electric power is a
renewable energy source that does not generate
waste. It improves air pollution.
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Water Supply
Dams can store rain water or water directly
from the river itself. Then, in case of a drought,
the dam will still have a relatively constant
supply of water.
Resettlement
In 1996, floods displaced more than one million
people from their homes. Besides, 180 million
people are now without electricity in China.
But 15 million people downstream will be better
off due to the control of flood and the supply of
cheap electricity. Also, population distribution to
newly-opened area, e.g. higher ground of the
dam, will be present.
Recreation and Tourism
The project provides recreational activities such
as boating fishing and swimming, if the lake is
not being used for drinking water. Also, cruise
ships will be able to sail at all time. Thus, the
dam will serve as a new tourist spot.
Reputation
The Three Gorges will be the most powerful
dam ever built. This is an important political
status symbol for China.
CONS
Resettlement
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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
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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
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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
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Critics say a series of smaller dams would
have fulfilled the country's energy needs with
less impact on the environment.
Corruption
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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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Concerns have surfaced about the dam itself.
There are some facts to prove. Firstly,
allegations of corruption among officials
involved with the project have raised fears of
shoddy construction. The Chinese media
recently reported several incidents in which
corruption and poor construction have led to
disasters at major building projects. Notable
among the reports was the collapse of a steel
bridge in the city of Chongqing in January
1999 that killed 40 people.
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Such incidents also have
prompted rare open criticism
from the Chinese leadership
regarding the Three Gorges
Dam. In early 1999 Chinese
Premier Zhu Rongji inspected
the dam site. He warned those
involved in the project that "the
responsibility on your
shoulders is heavier than a
mountain. Any carelessness or
negligence will bring disaster
to our future generations and
cause irretrievable losses."
Zhu also suggested China
might invite top international
engineers to inspect the dam
and monitor its construction.
Chinese leaders have long
dreamed of taming the Yangzi
for power generation and flood
control. The river's infamous
floods have brought destruction
and death for centuries -- 1
million deaths in the 20th
century alone
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Dai calls Three Gorges "the most environmentally
and socially destructive project in the world." She
also calls for a halt to construction and supports the
idea of a series of smaller, less disruptive
construction projects on tributaries of the Yangzi.
Moreover, of further concern are claims the dam
might become an environmental disaster. There
have been little to no attempts made toward
removing accumulations of toxic materials and other
potential pollutants from industrial sites that will be
inundated. Experts say such materials could leach
into the reservoir, creating a health hazard. Besides,
the relative lack of waste treatment plants in China
also could mean run-off from communities around
the dam would most likely go untreated directly into
the reservoir and into the Yangzi.
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"By severing the mighty
river and slowing the flow of
its water, the dam will cause
pollution from industrial and
residential sources to
concentrate in the river,
rather than be flushed out at
sea," writes Chinese
journalist Jin Hui in "The
River Dragon Has Come!" a
recently published collection
of criticisms against the
dam. "The result will be a
poisoned river."
Electrical power
derived from the dam's
turbines will provide
up to one-ninth of
China's output, the
government estimates
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Not only these, there are also claims that the dam
will actually contribute to the silt accumulation in the
Yangzi, rather than allow larger ships to travel the
river.
And others dispute whether the electricity generated
by the dam will be efficiently used.
"In terms of an American scale, this dam is
somewhat akin to the electrical load between
Philadelphia and Washington D.C. being served
from a single power plant."
Byrne is skeptical whether the huge amount of
electricity expected to be generated by the Three
Gorges project -- meant to produce power for
Chongqing and places as far away as Shanghai -can be efficiently and economically absorbed by
China's electrical system.
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The social element of Three
Gorges has generated more
questions than answers.
The dam will "drown" more
than 100 towns once the
water starts to rise in 2003.
Government estimates say
1.2 million people will be
resettled and that new land
is being provided for
300,000 farmers. Some
observers say the
government may be
underestimating by as many
as 700,000 the number of
people who actually will be
relocated.
The Three Gorges Dam
project will require the
resettlement of 1.2
million people,
according to the
government, although
observers say that
estimate may be short
by as many as 700,000
people
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The issue of the farmland, much of which has been tilled by the
same Chinese families for centuries and will be lost under the
reservoir's waters, is particularly important, Byrne says.
"One of the tragedies of this [project], if just from a regional
standpoint, is that the land that is going to be flooded is some of
the most fertile in China," says Byrne. "The land to where the
population is to be relocated is much less fertile."
Historians also have questioned the dam's impact on attempts to
preserve some aspects of China's long and illustrious history.
Archaeologists and historians have estimated nearly 1,300
important sites will disappear under the reservoir's waters.
Most irreplaceable, according to some experts, are sites that are
remnants of the homeland of the Ba, an ancient people who
settled in the region about 4,000 years ago. A former curator at
Beijing's National Museum of Chinese History describes the area
as "the last and best place to study Ba culture."
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The Yangzi is the longest
river in Asia and the third
longest in the world,
stretching nearly 4,000 miles
across China. The world's
longest river is the Nile; the
second longest is the
Amazon
For its part, the
government is well
aware of the problems
and challenges posed
by the Three Gorges
project. Nevertheless
Guo Shuyan, deputy
director of the Three
Gorges Project
Commission under the
State Council, has
described the project as
"environmentally sound,
on the whole."
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Chinese officials note the dam may end up
providing as much as one-ninth of the
nation's electrical production. Considering
that China burns 50 million tons of coal each
year for energy, their point is that the
environmental benefits outweigh the
environmental damage.
It appears the Three Gorges project is too far
along to be halted. More than 20,000 workers
are working around the clock on the dam
itself. The reservoir is expected to be at its
full depth by 2009.
Maps
Videos
GROUP MEMBERS:
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Cheong Yau Kit (Kit)
Kan Cham Chung (Kenneth)
Luk Kwai Lung (Ryan)
Lau Ka Ho (Max)
~THE END~
Thank you for your attention~