Ecological ills in China Three Gorges Dam Catastrophe

Ecological ills in China Three Gorges Dam Catastrophe



2007 September -   Chinese officials and 
experts have admitted the Three Gorges Dam project has caused an array of 
ecological ills, including more frequent landslides and pollution, and if 
preventive measures are not taken, there could be an environmental 
"catastrophe." 
While the dam has served as a barrier against seasonal flooding 
threatening the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the electricity 
generated by hydropower has led to a decrease of 100 million tons of 
carbon emissions, the benefits have come at an ecological and 
environmental cost, officials said. 
All the participants in a two-day forum held in Wuhan on Tuesday agreed 
that the project had exerted a "notably adverse" impact on the environment 
of the Three Gorges reservoir, with a total circumference of 600 
kilometers, and along the Yangtze since last year, when the project began 
operation.


They said the huge weight of the water behind the Three Gorges Dam had 
started to erode the Yangtze's banks in many places, which, together with 
frequent fluctuations in water levels, had triggered a series of 
landslides. 
"If no preventive measures are taken, the project could lead to 
catastrophe," they said. 
Tan Qiwei, vice mayor of Chongqing, a sprawling metropolis next to the 
reservoir, said the shore of the reservoir had collapsed in 91 places and 
a total of 36 kilometers had caved in. 
Frequent geological disasters have threatened the lives of residents 
around the reservoir area, said Huang Xuebin, head of the Headquarters for 
Prevention and Control of Geological Disasters in the Three Gorges 
Reservoir. 
At the forum he described landslides around the reservoir that had 
produced waves as high as 50 meters, which crashed into the adjacent 
shoreline, causing even more damage. 
Clear water discharged from the Three Gorges Dam has also threatened the 
safety of the protective embankments downstream, according to Hubei Vice 
Governor Li Chunming. 
Both Tan and Li said the quality of water in the Yangtze tributaries had 
deteriorated and outbreaks of algae or aquatic weeds had become more 
common. 
"We can by no means relax our vigilance against ecological and 
environmental security problems or profit from a fleeting economic boom at 
the cost of sacrificing the environment," said Wang Xiaofeng, director of 
the office of the Three Gorges Project Committee of the State Council. 
The open discussion of the negative effects of the Three Gorges Dam comes 
a month after the "Wall Street Journal" reported on the rising concerns of 
landslides, pollution and flooding in the area.

It quoted environmental scientist Weng Lida, secretary general of the 
Yangtze River Forum, as saying, "We thought of all the possible issues. 
But the problems are all more serious than we expected." 
Commenting on the newspaper report, Wang said he thought most of the 
statements were said out of a concern for the Three Gorges Project, but 
some of the phrasing did reflect ulterior motives. 
But he also admitted, "The problems mentioned in the Wall Street Journal 
should merit adequate attention from all of us." 
Wang said the Chinese government had also paid great attention to 
consequences in the wake of the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. 
Wang revealed that during an executive meeting of the State Council held 
earlier this year regarding the key problems arising from the Three Gorges 
Project, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was said to have cited ecological and 
environmental woes as primary problems to be addressed. 
While pledging to cooperate more with relevant central and local 
government departments in promulgating regulations for tightening 
management over the reservoir, Wang said comprehensive management measures 
would be taken to ensure the water in the Three Gorges Reservoir is clean. 

"We have to make concerted efforts to attain the dual goals of 
constructing a first-rate hydraulic project and making it into a top-level 
showcase for the environment," said Wang, "We will work harder to turn the 
Three Gorges Reservoir Area into an environmentally-friendly society." 
The government has invested heavily in programs designed to restore and 
conserve the ecology of the Three Gorges area in recent years, including 
12 billion yuan (US$1.5 billion) spent on trying to harness geological 
disasters such as landslides. 
It has also closed or relocated 1,500 manufacturing ventures, constructed 
more than 70 sewage disposal and waste treatment plants and resettled 
about 70,000 people from disaster-prone areas. 
The participants in the forum in Wuhan also called for the establishment 
of a long-term mechanism on the prevention and control of geological 
disasters in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, and a ban on fish farming in 
cages in the reservoir area to prevent an excess of nutrients degrading 
the water quality. 
The Three Gorges Project, the world's largest water control facility, was 
launched in 1993, with a budget of 180 billion yuan (US$22.5 billion). 
Located on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the project boasts a 
185-meter-high dam, completed in early 2006, and a five-tier ship lock. It 
has necessitated the resettlement of at least 1.2 million people. 
Seventeen turbines - 14 on the northern bank of the Gorges and three more 
on the southern bank - are now in operation. They produced 23.77 billion 
kwh of electricity in the first half of the year, 2.65 billion kwh more 
than the same period last year. 

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