(June 3, 2010) A recent restructuring by China’s Yangtze Power Co., the Shanghai-listed subsidiary of the Three Gorges Project Development Corporation, will see the company acquire full ownership of the only profitable part of the controversial dam—the generators—while assuming little-to-none of the environmental and social costs.
Landslides and seismic activity rock Three Gorges reservoir
(June 1, 2010) As the rainy season arrives and the Three Gorges reservoir is lowered, the controversial project is once again making headlines. This time, it’s because of the increasing number of landslides and seismic activity occurring along the 410-mile long reservoir.
Yangtze! Yangtze! Named one of the best books about water
(May 28, 2010) In a recent interview, Johnny Grimond, a writer-at-large for The Economist said Dai Qing’s “Yangtze! Yangtze!” was one of the best books about water. Mr. Grimond said that Ms. Dai “has written courageously about China’s dams and rivers.”
Nile countries continue fight over water
(May 26, 2010) The countries that share the Nile River basin – Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo – are tired of Egypt, and to a lesser extent Sudan, dictating the terms of the river water’s usage. The upriver countries recently signed a water-sharing agreement more favourable to their interests that then created a diplomatic standoff with Egypt.
Zero responsibility politics, Chinese style
(May 24, 2010) Qian Zhengying, who held office as the Minister of Water Resources for nearly 40 years, admitted in an interview with the Asia Weekly in April that the drought in South Western China and South East Asia was caused by China’s over-exploitation of water resources.
‘Grim situation’ at Three Gorges Dam, Chinese officials warn
(May 24, 2010) With extraordinary candour, Chinese officials are warning that severe rainstorms and gales this month will make efforts to prevent landslides in the Three Gorges dam area “formidable.”
Dams damaged in Yushu earthquake
(May 22, 2010) The April 13, 2010 Yushu earthquake damaged three dams on the Batang River, putting one at risk of collapse.
Chemical reactions on the Yangtze
(May 17, 2010) In the rolling hills alongside the Three Gorges reservoir, on a Tiananmen Square-sized plot of land, stands a sign marking the site of an “Integrated MDI Project” in the village of Baishi. On completion, this will be home to the world’s largest Methylene diphenyl diisocyanate plant and the villagers all know that German chemical giant BASF is on the way.
Hot wind in the desert
(May 13, 2010) The Chinese county of Guazhou, in north-western China, is famous for its honey melons. But it also produces wind. It blows in from the east through the high, narrow valley formed by the Qilian and Beishan mountains, on the southern edge of the Gansu Corridor.
China’s earthquake watcher
(May 12, 2010) An article about Yong Yang, a rabble-rousing independent geologist who has previously faced death threats from businessmen and local officials for raising concerns about the feasibility of lucrative proposed projects.
Clean energy’s dark side: safety of “green” dams in China called into question
(May 11, 2010) Dams are often presented as a clean source of energy. But, as Heather Gingerich, Probe’s Medical Geologist-in-Residence and current Director of the International Medical Geology Association in Canada, explains, they can trigger earthquakes.
China intent on building more dams in a seismically-active region in Tibet
(May 6, 2010) After months of rumours, Chinese officials have confessed to plans to construct dams in a seismically-active and politically-sensitive region in Tibet’s Jiacha Canyon. The first dam — the 500-megawatt Zangmu hydroelectric project — is currently under construction and is the first of five planned for the scenic, 100-kilometre canyon on the Yarlung Tsangpo River.
“What I asked for and why”: Ren Xinghui’s epic quest to track down the costs of the Three Gorges dam
(May 3, 2010) In the afternoon of October 12, 2009, Chinese citizen, taxpayer, electricity consumer, and law graduate, Ren Xinghui, using the law his government had enshrined to protect Chinese citizens’ rights to information about government expenditures, exercised his right: he went to the offices of the Ministry of Finance and submitted a formal and legal request for the monies raised and spent to build the world’s largest hydro dam, Three Gorges on China’s Yangtze River. Here he explains what he asked for, why, and what happened next.
Lights and action: China is parlaying its hunger for power into yet more economic clout
(Apr. 29, 2010) The huge expansion of generating capacity in China serves many purposes, not least of which is bolstering national pride, especially in rural areas that, not long ago, were consigned to darkness after sundown.
Controversial SW China dam sparks new showdown
(April 28, 2010) Chinese police have seized a farmer who doused himself in gasoline and threatened to blow himself up to stop the demolition of his house, in the latest showdown over the controversial Pubugou hydropower project.
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