Q: Is the Three Gorges dam a political project?

A: No, the Three Gorges isn’t a political project, but it would be a
big political problem if we failed to do a good job in building the
dam. I have to say that the project is a rational one because the
decision-making was based on scrupulous scientific study, not on
personal feelings or political decree. It was neither surprising nor
unusual that only two-thirds of the delegates voted for the project in
the National People’s Congress 10 years ago. Many large projects in
other countries also encountered heated, even fierce debate before they
were given the go-ahead. The British-French channel tunnel, for
example, was first proposed in the Napoleonic era but the project only
got off the ground much later, in the 1980s. Even today, opposition and
criticism [of the Chunnel] are still being heard. I think the costs and
benefits of building a project like the Three Gorges need to be
properly weighed before such an important decision is made.

 

Q: How much confidence do you have that the dam can be protected in the event of attack?

A: The Three Gorges is a concrete gravity dam. In a conventional
war, the dam itself and the shiplock are likely to be targeted and even
damaged, but the dam will never collapse and the reservoir will never
flood the cities along the downstream valley. This is because we will
be able to lower the reservoir level and let the water out within just
one week – and we would be aware of the signs of a war before a war
breaks out. It isn’t in the Chinese character not to undertake
construction projects just for fear of war.

 

Q: How will the south-north water transfer scheme affect the Three Gorges project?

A: Not much. The water transfer scheme is another of China’s grand
projects. According to the plans, the project’s western route will draw
water from several tributaries of the upper Yangtze and move it to the
Yellow River, about 10 to 20 billion cubic metres a year. The effects
will not be very significant given that the Yangtze has a runoff of 450
billion cubic metres at the dam site, and a runoff of 950 billion cubic
metres before emptying into the East China Sea. The middle route of the
water transfer scheme will start at the Danjiangkou reservoir on the
Han River, which is below the Three Gorges.

 

Q: What is the relationship between the Gezhouba and Three Gorges dams?

A: It was true that at that time [in the 1970s] many engineers
strongly opposed the plan first to build Gezhouba and then the Three
Gorges dam. They were especially concerned that building Gezhouba would
raise water levels and cause problems in constructing the Three Gorges
dam. But we have managed to get that job done despite facing many
practical difficulties. In fact, these two big dams can be mutually
beneficial: Regulating the Three Gorges reservoir, for instance, will
make it possible to increase Gezhouba’s hydropower output. Of course,
we have more to do in terms of dealing with the relationship between
the two dams and regulating the two reservoirs based on alterations in
the water situation and fluctuations in electricity demand as well.

 

Q: What function will the temporary shiplock serve after the project is completed in 2009?

A: The temporary shiplock was constructed to ease traffic in the
diversion channel [that was built while the dam was being constructed
across the river’s main channel]. Since the diversion channel was
blocked in November, the temporary shiplock has been functioning as the
main shipping canal. But its mission will be finished in April this
year, and the temporary shiplock will be turned into a silt-flushing
lock.

 

Q: When it’s finished, is Three Gorges supposed to be a giant monopoly enterprise in China’s power sector?

A: No, I don’t think so, because China is introducing market
competition as it reforms the power sector. There’s no way Three Gorges
can become a giant monopoly, though it’s true that a large corporation
does have competitive advantages in the market.

 

Q: We all know that the Dujiangyan [irrigation scheme] is still
working perfectly after more than 2,000 years of operation. How long
will the Three Gorges dam work?

A: Dujiangyan is a primitive project that’s more than 2,000 years
old, but it requires about 1,000 people to carry out the necessary
maintenance work. By contrast, Three Gorges is a modern project that
will need only 374 employees when it’s finished. It’s hard to say how
long the dam will survive. Its lifespan will depend on the concrete, in
which the alkali content is a vital factor. As we know, concrete was
invented just 200 years ago. The quality of the concrete has been seen
as a top priority while building the dam; we are particularly careful
about that. I believe younger generations will be able to benefit from
the Three Gorges dam for a long time to come.

 

Translated by Three Gorges Probe (Chinese) editor Mu Lan.