Geography Three Gorges Dam Term Paper

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Gorges Dam

In 2009, a monumental undertaking that began in China in 1994 is planned for completion. The Three Gorges Dam project on the Yangtze River is expected to be the largest hydroelectric dam in the world. It will stretch nearly a mile across and tower 575 feet above the earth's third longest river. Its reservoir will reach over 350 miles upstream and force the displacement of close to 1.9 million people. The cost is approximated at over $24 billion (China Online). Since its conception, however, this project has caused considerable conflict. Whether it will be constructed as designed and finished by its due date is highly questionable.

The idea for the Three Gorges Dam was proposed to solve several major national problems. First, the project was seen as an important future source of energy for China's ever-expanding electrical usage. It was also expected to significantly reduce the power of the Yangzi. The river's floods have caused great havoc over the millennium. During the past century alone, they claimed over one million lives and caused millions of dollars in damage (China Online).

The "father of the China Republic," Sun Yat-sen, first suggested the hydroelectric dam at Three Gorges in 1919. In the mid-1950s, after destructive floods occurred along the Yangzi, Chairman Mao Tse-tung ordered feasibility studies on damming the river. The project has triggered much heated debate ever since (China Online).

Li Rui, vice minister of electric power, originally asserted that the project should be done in stages and not on a grandiose scheme. Smaller dams should be built initially until the country could support such an expensive enterprise and technical and environmental problems could be confronted and solved as they occurred (China Online).

However, Li Rui later rescinded his decision to build Three Gorges Dam. He believed it would be way too costly. Also, the dam would overflow many cities and fertile farmlands and cause calamitous flooding in the middle and lower reaches of the river during construction.

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Overall, it would not even contribute much to shipping. Lu Rui was not the only one concerned. Officials from Sichuan province objected to the construction, as well. Since their land was located upstream, they would have to pay most of the costs. Meanwhile, Hubei province downstream would reap the major benefits (China Online).

The debate continued on and off for numerous years. The Yangtze Valley Planning Office that oversaw the project wanted the dam. It felt that the technical issues could be solved. In addition, it would be advantageous for China to have the largest hydroelectric dam in the world. However, work stopped when an economic depression hit the country in 1960 (China Online).

Three years later, the idea was raised again when China considered constructing a "third front" of industry in the southwest. Yet the Cultural Revolution and fear of Soviet Union sabotage halted the work for another decade. In 1970, the country began work on a smaller dam downstream on Gezhouba. Technical problems and unexpected expenses caused greater concerns and work stopped for another eight years (China Online).

In 1979, economic reforms and the desire to expand industry encouraged construction to restart. The number of critics grew. Leaders from Chongqing demanded that the dam height be raised. Some environmentalists were angered that the dam would cause rather than solve more problems and were concerned about the destruction of natural land. Human rights activists refuted the resettlement plan. Archeologists objected that many historical sites would end up under water. Most notably would be sites that are remnants of the homeland of the Ba, an ancient people who settled in the region about 4,000 years ago. Further, a number of engineers began wondering if the dam would solve the necessary problems.

Regardless of the controversy, the….....

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