(May 7, 2008) Last month, the House of Representatives showed leadership in the fight against global poverty by passing the Jubilee Act for Responsible Lending and Expanded Debt Cancellation, which would extend lifesaving debt cancellation to more poor nations around the globe.
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Olympics water diversion scheme starts this month
(March 11, 2008) To ensure Beijing has enough water for the Olympic games this August, about 300 million cubic metres of water will be diverted from Hebei province starting the end of this month, according to China Daily
Final report, mapping of the proposed Chalillo (PDF format)
(May 3, 2002) This report presents the findings of a re-study done on the geology of the proposed Chalillo Dam site during the period April 24th to April 29th, 2002.
Mekong Commission Defends Itself against Critics
(May 2, 2008) The head of the Mekong River Commission has defended his organisation against charges it faces a crisis of legitimacy arising from hydropower development on the Mekong mainstream, and pledged to increase efforts to engage with more diverse groups in the region.
How Dams Fail
(May 1, 2008) There are different types of dams classified by the material and design used in construction. These differences influence how and why dams fail. A dam can be classified by its material, indicating whether it is earthen or concrete. Dam components can also include iron, steel or timber or a combination of any of the above.
FACT SHEET: Measuring Earthquakes
(May 1, 2008) The Richter scale provides an objective way of measuring and comparing the size of earthquakes using a mathematical device.
Leading Causes of Dam Failure
(May 1, 2008) Overtopping occurs when the level of a reservoir exceeds the capacity or height of the dam. This can be caused by an inadequate or dysfunctional spillway or by settlement of the dam crest (for an explanation of settlement, see foundation defects).
THREE GORGES ORAL HISTORY SERIES: Absence of Justice: Lu Chengming’s Struggle for Compensation
Translation by Madeleine Ross and Fang Li
(download pdf)
Establishment of Zigui GPS-CR Landslide Monitoring Network in the Three Gorge reservoir area
(April 26, 2008) To apply INSAR observation technique to the Three Gorge Reservoir’s landslide monitoring, we’ve installed 10 corner reflectors on the landslide within Zigui county of the Three Gorge Reservoir area, meanwhile, set up GPS observation point, preliminarily forming GPS-CR landslide monitoring network. This paper of both INSAR observation technique and GPS observation technique in landslide monitoring researches.
Three Gorges transmission lines down amid power shortages
Heavy snowstorms felled three power transmission towers along a majorline of the Three Gorges dam, disrupting a link in central China’s transmission system, Xinhua news agency reported last month.
Storm-damaged power grids and chronic shortages of coal, which fuels three quarters of China’s electricity supply, have contributed to power shortages that have forced more than a dozen provinces to ration electricity.
Olympics water diversion scheme threatens millions
(March 11, 2008) In an interview with the London-based Financial Times, An Qingyuan, a former communist party chief, said the diversion of water to Beijing for the Olympics and for big hydropower projects threatens the lives of millions of peasant farmers in China’s north-western provinces.
British insurance broker awarded Three Gorges contract
A London-based insurance broker, Willis Group Holdings, has been awarded a two-year contract as the insurance consultant for the Three Gorges project, according to Joy Shaw, correspondent for MarketWatch in Shanghai.
Financial Times: Three Gorges dam repeats “stupid mistake”
Former communist party chief An Qingyuan is quoted saying the Sanmenxia dam on the Yellow River was a “stupid mistake” that has brought “severe disasters to the people living near the river.” He and others warn that Sanmenxia sets a disastrous precedent for the much larger Three Gorges project.
Landslide hits town near China’s Three Gorges dam
(April 20, 2008) Emergency workers are still trying to rescue almost 200 people from a village that was nearly inundated by a massive landslide near the Three Gorges dam in central China on Saturday, the official Xinhua news agency reports.
Chongqing: A tale of two cities
The Toronto Star highlights Chongqing, the world’s fastest growing metropolis of 32 million at the upper end of the Three Gorges reservoir.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
Lisa Peryman
Probe Media
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Probe International 