The Controversy Behind China’s Dams

Sophia Luong

Megan Kleinedler

Eric Sorenson

Why is this important to research?

• The goals of dam construction in China are to achieve the maximum possible benefits by minimizing the negative effects on the social, environmental, ecological aspects and cultural relics through fully and rationally utilizing the nature resources

• Calls attention to possible negative impacts of a supposed cheap and safe method of energy.

Question

• Do the positive impacts of China’s dams outweigh the negative effects on China and downstream countries?

Background Info on Dams• Energy Electricity

Trap water flowing downhill and use the energy to turn turbines

(http://www.colorado.edu/GeolSci/courses/GEOL3520/Topic7/Topic7.html)

History of China’s Dam Projects• 1949• Heavily campaigned dam projects during Communist era• “Engineering achievements”, in actuality, led to

thousands of collapsed dams

-Banqiao dam• Poor construction/planning

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/quake/photo/1999/09/28/0000000858

Three Gorges Dam• Largest hydroelectric dam in the world• Benefits:

- Flood control

- Hydroelectric power

• Costs:- 1.9 million people displaced

- environment- cultural sites

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Gorges_Dam#History

Debate!!Megan Kleinedler

Chinese farmer forced to resettle in Cambodia

Head coordinator of Three Gorges Dam river project

vs.

Cost

Resettlement

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1999/china.50/asian.superpower/three.gorges/

Roughly 70 percent of the country’s 10.2 million "reservoir relocatees" were still living in "extreme poverty” after the

resettlement.

Environment

http://www.terradaily.com/images/china-beijing-pollution-traffic-nov-2005-afp-bg.jpg

http://www.asianresearch.org/articles/2091.html

Local Culture and Natural Beauty

http://www.threegorgesprobe.org/probeint/ThreeGorges/photos.html

Countries estimated to have the largest irrigation systems - 1997:

Irrigation In East and South-East Asia:

Most irrigated countries:

China - 51.8 million haThailand - 5.0 million haIndonesia - 4.8 million haJapan - 2.7 million haVietnam - 2.3 million ha

Least irrigated countries:(less than 300 000 ha under irrigation)

Brunei DarussalamCambodiaHong KongLaosMongolia

Source: FAOSTAT Database, UN Food & Agriculture Organisation,1999

Navigation

http://www.china.org.cn/english/2005/Oct/146970.htm

Power Generation

http://www.terradaily.com/news/energy-tech-05zi.html

http://blogs.ittefaq.com/tech/archives/2005/10/

SolarCoal

Hydroelectric

Flood Control

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/news/releases/02/10_21_02.asp

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-09/02/xinsrc_ee46be1bdf714d779c990f61fe8db79c_flood.jpg

Disease