(July 1, 2001) A massive hydroelectric scheme in western China has left locals poor and discontented, a researcher at an official think-tank said, casting doubt on official promises that the country’s dams bring prosperity.

(Excerpt)

Residents in western China’s Qinghai province have become poorer despite a project to build 13 hydro-power dams along the Yellow River for about 50 billion yuan ($6.2 billion), said Zhou Tianyong, a professor at the Central Party School in Beijing where up-and-coming officials are trained for promotion. “The more dams that are built, the more we’re shifted and the poorer we become, and the more we see the less hope we have,” Zhou quoted discontented residents as telling him, according to a report in the Economic Information Daily on Wednesday.

Reuters, July 1, 2001