Category Archives: Three Gorges

Things you may not know about the history of the Three Gorges Dam Project

Posted on February 8, 2012 by

(February 8, 2012) Admissions of trouble at Three Gorges Dam by China’s powerful State Council last spring, left many wondering how the behemoth dam ever got off the drawing board. Now, in a first, behind the scenes, account of raw power politics, Guo Yushan from China’s Transition Institute describes how Three Gorges critics were silenced, and China’s power mandarins maneuvered, to build the world’s largest and most troubled dam. Read this translation by Probe International of the article that went viral on China’s Internet. Continue reading →

Posted in China Energy Industry, Dai Qing and Three Gorges, News Coverage About Dai Qing, Probe International in the News, Three Gorges, Three Gorges Probe, Yangtze Power | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Earthquakes, dams and responsibility

Posted on November 21, 2011 by

(November 21, 2011) Matt Ridley, writing about dams and induced seismicity in the Wall Street Journal, cites Probe International’s reports on the consequences of building the Three Gorges Dam: the Yangtze is drying up downstream, and seismic activity has increased 30-fold. Continue reading →

Posted in China's Dams, Dams and Earthquakes, Dams and Landslides, Probe International in the News, RIS, Three Gorges, Three Gorges Probe, Zipingpu | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A litany of troubles at Three Gorges Dam

Posted on October 17, 2011 by

To most observers, Chinese officialdom has supported the Three Gorges Dam without fail. But a closer look reveals growing worries about the dam which has become a symbol of all that is wrong with China’s rise. Here we present Chinese officials’ admissions of problems at Three Gorges, from the sensational mea culpas of senior officials to the subtly expressed worries of eminent scientists. Continue reading →

Posted in China Energy Industry, China Pollution, China's Dams, RIS, Three Gorges, Three Gorges Probe, Yangtze Drought and Pollution, Yangtze Floods and Drought | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

China dam shocker spreads

Posted on August 26, 2011 by

(August 26, 2011) China’s precarious dam reality has moved out into the open. Continue reading →

Posted in China's Dams, Cracks in Three Gorges dam, Dams and Earthquakes, Dams and Landslides, Three Gorges, Three Gorges Probe | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Dams gone wrong: Is danger lurking in China’s dams?

Posted on August 24, 2011 by

(August 24, 2011) One of China’s premier investigative news agencies reveals China’s dams “are like ticking time bombs:” beset by disaster, flaws, poor construction, neglect, and fraud. Continue reading →

Posted in China Energy Industry, China's Dams, Cracks in Three Gorges dam, Dams and Earthquakes, Dams and Landslides, Probe International in the News, Three Gorges, Three Gorges Probe, Yangtze Drought and Pollution, Yangtze Floods and Drought, Yangtze Power | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Yangtze fishermen take a hit

Posted on July 29, 2011 by

(July 29, 2011) Since the construction of the Gezhouba and Three Gorges dams, Yangtze River’s fish stocks have been declining. The government’s solution – the “Fisherman on Land” program – has forced “boat families,” who once earned a living from the fish bounty of the Yangtze, to move ashore and find work in factories. Continue reading →

Posted in Dams and Fish, Three Gorges | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Yangtze fish take a hit

Posted on July 19, 2011 by

(July 19, 2011) China’s weekly newspaper, the Economic Observer, says the Three Gorges dam is the primary reason for the demise of the Yangtze’s “big four” fish species. By changing the hydrological regime downstream of the dam, the fry population of the black, grass, silver, and bighead carp have plummeted by 97%. Attempts to simulate the original hydrological conditions with forced water releases and restocking the river with broodstock will be futile say experts. Continue reading →

Posted in Dams and Fish, Three Gorges | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

China’s admission spotlights Three Gorges woes

Posted on June 29, 2011 by

(June 29, 2011) The recent drought and the government’s mea culpa have refocused attention on problems at China’s controversial Three Gorges Dam. “The dam is becoming a symbol of all that is wrong with political decision-making in China,” says Patricia Adams of Probe International. Continue reading →

Posted in China's Dams, Dams and Landslides, Patricia Adams, Probe International in the News, Three Gorges, Three Gorges Probe, Yangtze Drought and Pollution, Yangtze Floods and Drought, Yangtze Power | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments