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A trip down the Yangtze River—home of the world's largest hydroelectric dam—offers a glimpse into China's past and future
August 4, 2008 | 2
Unlike the three other rivers that flow through the Yunnan Province in western China, the Yangtze River--at this point in its course called the Jinsha Jiang, or Golden Sand River--turns east and flows to the sea at Shanghai....[More]
The Yangtze becomes itself--Chang Jiang, or Long River--when it meets the Jialing River in Chongqing, a major inland port city that produces most of the nation's motorcycles, among other industrial goods....[More]
Aging Russian diesel-powered hydrofoils still provide the bulk of transport between Chongqing and cities downriver. It takes eight hours to travel the 660 kilometers (410 miles) of jade green water from Chongqing to Yichang near the Three Gorges Dam....[More]
The Yangtze River is the premier route for goods to travel from factories in the interior to the coast or vice versa--a shipping conduit that has been improved by the Three Gorges Dam's deepening of the waterway....[More]
The Three Gorges dam spans the entire river way--imagine a dam across the Mississippi just above Memphis backing up water to St. Louis and beyond--holding back more than 10 trillion gallons (38 trillion liters) of water to prevent flooding downriver, generate electricity and enhance shipping....[More]
The dam raises water levels 410 miles (660 kilometers) behind it, and it has yet to reach its highest possible heights of 575 feet (175 meters). The water levels rise and fall with the seasons, exposing previously submerged land and spreading disease....[More]
The rising waters have submerged the homes or forced the relocation of more than 1.2 million people to date, such as those of this abandoned riverside town that will disappear beneath the waters when the dam reaches its maximum capacity....[More]
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2 Comments
Add CommentAs stated in the article, one of the main reasons to build the Three Gorges dam was to establish a "flood control" structure because over 300,000 people have died in Yangtze River floods in the 20th century(156,000 in 1840; 142,000 in 1935; over 33,000 in 1954; and most recently over 3,000 in 1998). The electrical power generation and navigation enhancements are ancillary benefits that will economically revive the region because they supply cheap power, and a means for the farmers to export their crop to the other parts of China.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNaturally, when you build a large dam with its associated large reservoir, there will be ecological problems that were not previously existent; and these must be handled. However, the logic dictates that you must build the dam to save the thousands of human lives; and eliminate the constant flooding which maintained the geographical area in a poverty status. Once the dam is built, you must address the ecological problems that were unforeseen prior to the construction of the dam.
Hydro power is a renewable source of energy (It rains, the water runs downhill thru a turbine producing electricity, it exits the plant as water, evaporation occurs, it rains, etc. etc.) with "zero" emissions. As stated, this is a great advantage over several more coal fired plants with their associated Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
In summary, the dam was required to avoid the loss of human life due to the frequent flooding of the Yangtze River; and the saving of human lives on such a large scale is imperative. The ecological problems created, that were not foreseen, have to be addressed. The electrical power generation and increased navigation capability is an additional ancillary benefit
Astounding! If the Chinese develop Solar possibilities of their enormous desert regions, and make use of Wind Power too, as well as re-generating sewage to bio gasses, fertilizers from large cities, they will stand head an shoulders above the Americans, wasteful and expensive to maintain, as they are! beware! China can pull the "population control" plug at any time and overwhelm the world with people power! They have already bred an intelligentsia elite, quite deliberately, are well aware of DNA, and not restricted by religious beliefs or corporate interests, as Stem Cell research has illustrated! A new world order to be born in China? A Super-Race? vegans? Low maintenance, high intelligence units? Smaller in size, manning lighter, faster, planes, cars, industries factories, schools, colleges, Universities? Totally in Mandarin? Are we witnessing the end of the great hulking American Neanderthal evolved these past 200 years, now facing an unbeatable opponent with a deflated dollar still falling like a stone? Has his economy collapsed? Are his industries, factories, migrated to Asia? Is he failing at sustainability as we speak? Is this the "Fourth Turning" for America? Fear This?
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