Background

The Yangtze River is the longest river in Asia and the third longest in the world. The headwaters of the river are situated 16,000 feet above sea level in the Kunlun Mountains. It flows generally south through China, some 3,720 miles to its mouth in the East China Sea. Precipitation is high due to the height of the mountains.

The Three Gorges Dam

In 1995, construction began on the Three Gorges Dam near Yichang and is scheduled for completion in 2009. The dam will measure about 600 feet and 1.5 miles wide. The dam is expected to control flooding of the Yangtze River valley. The hydroelectric generators will provide 1/9 of China’s total power output.

Pros and Cons

Issue	Criticism	Defence
Cost	The dam will far exceed the official cost estimate of $24.5 billion. The investment will be unrecoverable as cheaper power sources become available and lure away ratepayers	Updating the transmission grid will increase demand for electricity and allow the dam to pay for itself within 3 years. 20,000 jobs created on construction site.
Resettlement	Inundation of 2 cities, 11 counties, 140 towns, 326 townships & 1,600 factories and over 80,000 acres of fertile land will be destroyed. 1.1 million people will have to be resettled.	15 million people downstream will be better off due to electricity and flood control
Environment	Water pollution and deforestation will increase, the coastline will be eroded and the altered ecosystem will further endanger many species. The massive reservoir behind the dam will impact on climate in the surrounding region, slightly moderate winters and cooling the summers by a degree or two.	The more stable and moderate climate will facilitate the large scale planting and cultivation of citrus trees. Hydroelectric power is cleaner than burning coal and safer than nuclear plants, and steps will be taken to protect the environment. . The dam’s energy creation power is the equivalent of burning 50 million tons of coal or 25 million tons of crude oil. The switch to HEP will cut CO2 emissions by 100 million tons, Carbon Monoxide by 10,000 tons and 2 million tons of Sulphur dioxide.
Local culture and natural beauty	The reservoir will flood many historical sites and ruin the legendary scenery of the gorges and the local tourism industry	Many historical relics are being moved, and the scenery will not change much.
Navigation	Heavy siltation will clog ports within a few years and negate improvements to navigation	Shipping will be faster, cheaper and safer as rapid waters are tamed and ship locks installed
Power generation	Technological advances have made HEP dams obsolete, and a decentralised energy market will allow ratepayers to switch to cheaper, cleaner power supplies	The alternative are not yet viable and there is he potential demand for relatively cheap hydroelectricity
Flood control	The Yangtze will add 530 million tons of silt into the reservoir in an average year and it will soon be useless in preventing floods. Such a large dam will increase seismic activity in the area and a subsequent earthquake could burst the dam if construction was faulty	The huge flood storage capacity will lessen the frequency of major floods. The risk that the dam will increase flooding is remote.

D. Drake 2011

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