Advantages & Disadvantages of China Three Gorges Dam Project. Supporters say the benefits of the project far outweigh the costs. The principal advantage of the project is to generate power to keep pace with China's economic growth. It is estimated that China's power output must rise by 8 percent annually to keep pace with 6 percent annual increase in gross national product. In practical term, that means the nation's total 1990 power capacity of 130 million kilowatts must grow to 580 million by the year 2015. Advantages (Pros) 1. Flood Control.
Chinese officials note that the dam will relieve the danger of flooding. 2. Another advantage of the dam is to reduce emissions of sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide. 3. Disadvantages (Cons) 1. Chinese officials estimate that the reservoir will partially or completely inundate 2 cities, 11 counties, 140 towns, 326 townships, and 1351 villages. 2. 3. 4. 5. Come to see the world's most controversial thing and enjoy a relaxing Yangtze cruise!
What are the Pros and Cons of The Three Gorges Dam? In: Energy/Environment. 3 so far. Add one? The creation of the Three Gorges Dam has been surrounded by controversy, because of the significant environmental and social consequences of such a large hydroelectric dam in China. There are questions over whether the dam will generate enough electricity to make the environmental, social and financial costs worth it, especially because China has such substantial energy needs. From top, clockwise: location of the Yangtze River in China, construction on the Three Gorges Dam and the dam itself. China needs power It has been suggested that there are more environmentally-friendly ways for China to meet its energy requirements and that; indeed, the dam could actually have a more detrimental impact on the environment than the alternatives.
Power output: equivalent to 18 nuclear power plants Renewable power Tourist dollars and powering the economy Environmental impact Energy efficiency The dam. Relocation for Giant Dam Inflames Chinese Peasants. By Julie ChaoPalm Beach Post May 15, 2001 He Kechang retired to a village above the Yangtze River hoping to spend his last years with his family working their half-acre of land. But as construction started on the Three Gorges Dam about 200 miles down river, the former ship worker found himself slowly drawn into a morass of deceit and corruption.
The government sent millions in tax money to the town of Gaoyang to relocate 13,000 farmers and make way for the dam. But He and his family never saw their share. Instead, they saw officials spend the money on impressive new buildings for the government and police. He turned up evidence that officials artificially inflated the number of residents and amount of land to collect more money from the central government while denying farmers their rightful compensation. He, 61, felt compelled to act. "My son tried to tell him, if a farmer tries to seek justice from the government, the only possible outcome is failure," said his wife, Xiong Dezhen. Great Wall Across the Yangtze. CNN In-Depth Specials - Visions of China - Asian Superpower: China's Three Gorges Dam. China's biggest construction project since the Great Wall generates controversy at home and abroad By Bruce Kennedy CNN Interactive (CNN) -- It is the virtual definition of a monumental project -- a dam one and a half miles wide and more than 600 feet high that will create a reservoir hundreds of feet deep and nearly 400 miles long.
The reservoir, its engineers say, will enable 10,000-ton ocean-going freighters to sail directly into the nation's interior for six months of each year, opening a region burgeoning with agricultural and manufactured products. And the dam's hydropower turbines are expected to create as much electricity as 18 nuclear power plants. The project is China's Three Gorges Dam, and it has already been the subject of great international scrutiny.
Chinese authorities hope the dam will take care of several major national problems with a single monumental stroke. Concerns have surfaced about the dam itself. Non-governmental criticism of the project also has surfaced. BUILDING BIG: Databank: Three Gorges Dam. Three Gorges DamChoose another wonder Vital Statistics: Location: Three Gorges, ChinaCompletion Date: 2009Cost: $17-$100 billionReservoir Capacity: 1.39 trillion cubic feetType: GravityPurpose: Flood Control, hydroelectric power, irrigation, navigationReservoir: not named Materials: Concrete Engineer(s): Changjiang Water Resources Commission; Zhongnan Investment & Design Institute; Huadong Investment & Design Institute Construction is now under way in China on what will be the world's largest hydroelectric dam. When it is completed in 2009, Three Gorges Dam will stretch more than one mile across the Yangtze River and soar 600 feet above the valley floor.
It will be the largest concrete dam in the world, and will produce 18,000 megawatts of electrical energy, nudging Brazil's Itaipu Dam to second place. China's Three Gorges Dam is years from completion, but environmentalists and human rights advocates are already concerned about the consequences of such a huge structure.