(November 23, 2007) Construction has begun on the first earthquake monitoring centre in the Three Gorges area, www.china.org.cn reported on Nov 21. Located in Shizhu County, the centre will provide technical support regarding operation safety, earthquake damage relief, and geological disaster evaluation.
Other News Sources
Landslide hits near Three Gorges dam
(November 23, 2007) Chinese officials have confirmed that a bus carrying as many as 27 people has been discovered buried in a landslide that occurred earlier this week.
New plan to address Three Gorges’ environmental problems
(November 22, 2007) China’s Three Gorges Project Committee has announced measures to protect the environment in the Three Gorges area, Xinhua reported on Nov 22.
Kaixian county: a look behind the plan to move 2.3 million people from Three Gorges
(November 22, 2007) In the last ten years or more, over one million people have made way for the Three Gorges dam. Of those that lost land to the Three Gorges reservoir, most were settled onto higher ground while some were moved far away. But the resettlement is not over.
Farmers out, monkeys in
(November 22, 2007) While China’s central planners campaign for depopulating the Three Gorges countryside, tourism development officials are moving 80 monkeys into the scenic gorges area to entertain tourists, Xinhua reported on Nov 22.
PRESS RELEASE Canadian government must take responsibility for role in disastrous Three Gorges project, says Probe Internation
(November 21, 2007) In an open letter to Canadian officials, Probe International calls for the government to “make amends for failing to warn the Chinese government that the project’s environmental risks would ultimately threaten the lives, property, and economic future of millions of people living along the Yangtze river.”
Silt problem worsens along middle Yangtze
(November 20, 2007) Yangtze River authorities started dredging China’s longest river a week earlier than last year as silting in the river becomes more serious, Xinhua reported on Nov 20.
World Bank vetoes $232 million loan due to corruption fears
(November 20, 2007) The World Bank’s veto of a $232 million loan to the Philippines suggests a continued divide over corruption issues within the organization, The Wall Street Journal
Testimony in landmark debt cancellation bill
(November 20, 2007) Neil Watkins, National Coordinator of Jubilee USA Network, testified before the Congressional House Committee on Financial Services considering the Jubilee Act for Responsible Lending and Expanded Debt Cancellation of 2007, earlier this month.
REVIEW: Partially odious debts? A framework for an optimal liability regime
(November 20, 2007) This provocative paper is sure to raise the ire of a civil society that wants Third World debts canceled because of their illegitimacy. But it won’t make the lenders who want "no fault" debt forgiveness (courtesy of Northern taxpayers) happy either. Instead, authors Ben-Shahar and Gulati push the legal envelope of "how to" resolve the Third World debt quagmire and in doing so, empower odious debt advocates with more legal fight than ever before.
Chinese dam projects criticized for their human costs
(November 19, 2007) An article in the New York Times detailing the criticisms of the Three Gorges dam and the resettlement issues and environmental costs facing the government as the project nears completion.
Chinese dam projects criticized for their human costs
(November 19, 2007) Last year, Chinese officials celebrated the completion of the Three Gorges Dam by releasing a list of 10 world records. As in: The Three Gorges is the world’s biggest dam, biggest power plant and biggest consumer of dirt, stone, concrete and steel. Ever. Even the project’s official tally of 1.13 million displaced people made the list as record No. 10.
New York Times “Choking on Growth” series
(November 18, 2007) Probe Fellow Dai Qing responds to New York Times readers’ online queries about China’s environmental woes and the Three Gorges dam. This is part four of the New York Times “Choking on Growth” series that looks at the causes and effects of China’s environmental crisis.
Mekong River Commission remiss – activists
(November 14, 2007) The campaign to save South-east Asia’s largest waterway from being blocked by a series of massive dams picked up pace this week, with activists accusing a regional river authority of abandoning its mission to protect the Mekong River.
World must help protect vital Mekong river: activists
(November 14, 2007) International intervention is necessary to halt the construction of six dams along the Mekong River that could displace tens of thousands of people and endanger over a thousand aquatic species, say environmental groups.


