(December 14, 2009) Standing in the rubble of her home, with the sun setting on the graves of her ancestors behind her, Li De breaks down as she describes being relocated to make way for the Chinese government’s latest grand engineering project. Her house in rural Henan province will soon be submerged beneath a reservoir feeding the central route of the biggest water scheme in history – the “south-north water diversion project”.
China’s PR Problem Rears Head at Mekong Forum
(December 12, 2009) Powerful neighbour. A rising power. Old friend. Big, secretive investor. Big boy of the region. These were some of the terms participants at the just-finished Mekong Media Forum here used, when asked to share the images of China they get from the media.
Filmmaker says problems from the Three Gorges dam are here to stay
(December 7, 2009) The social and political environment in the area around the Three Gorges dam remains tense, residents believe that more 50 percent of the resettlement funds were misappropriated by government officials and the problems from the project are not manageable and will plague the area as long as the dam stands, says Shi Ming, producer of the award-winning documentary, “Countdown on the Yangtze”.
Ethiopia’s Tekeze Dam fiasco
(November 28, 2009) The recently completed Tekeze hydroelectric dam in Ethiopia is said to be the largest public works project in Africa. It also could turn in to the biggest blunder with disastrous environmental impact, as the investigative report below tries to illustrate. There is so much secrecy surrounding the project that it is not even clear who really paid for it, although the ruling Woyanne junta claims that it has provided all the funding.
Ethiopia’s Tekeze dam limps into operation
(November 23, 2009) The vastly over-budget and long-delayed Tekeze hydro-electric in Ethiopia is finally finished. The project, which was first proposed seven years ago and was scheduled to be competed in 2008, in the end cost $360-million—$136-million over budget.
Setbacks stall finish of China’s massive dam project
(November 22, 2009) Landslides have caused a go slow on filling the giant reservoir behind the Three Gorges Dam to capacity this month. As more unforeseen issues emerge, locals suffer the brunt of relocation and inadequate compensation, while experts predict further delays and problems – calling even the fate of the once mighty Yangtze into question.
Only democracy can clean up the planet: Save the ballot box and save the world
(November 20, 2009) It should be easy to demonstrate that democracy (however defined) is better for the environment than dictatorship (however defined) – and it is.
Video: China’s Three Gorges dam in trouble
(November 20, 2009) Report from Al Jazeera on rising costs of the Three Gorges dam.
The bills pile high for operators of Three Gorges
(November 19, 2009) A recent report by Chris Buckley in Reuters offers more evidence that the final price tag for the Three Gorges dam will be far higher than officials admit. According to Buckley, a draft plan prepared for the central government says a backlog of problems created by the construction of the dam require an additional $24.9-billion to solve.
The dam that shook the earth
(November 19, 2009) Peter Bosshard, policy director of International Rivers, provides a nice overview of the controversy surrounding the Zipingpu dam.
How Beijing accounts for the cost of the Three Gorges dam
(November 19, 2009) The project has been plagued by corruption, escalating costs, technological problems, human rights violations, and resettlement difficulties. The dam has caused flooding to numerous archaeological and cultural sites, the displacement of about 1.24 million people, and significant ecological changes, including an increased risk of landslides.
Did 2008 Wenchuan quake strike because China filled a reservoir?
(November 18, 2009) Scientists have seen this one before: Fill a reservoir behind a new dam, and, oops, you trigger an earthquake nearby not long after the lake is topped off.
A Damned Dam
(November 17, 2009) For fifteen years, Three Gorges dam officials have been looking forward to the day they could declare the dam – the world’s most spectacular, and controversial, engineering feat – finished and operating at full capacity.
Wind power dilemma: Money blows away
(November 12, 2009) Various experts have started weighing in with suggestions for reducing overcapacity and streamlining wind energy in China, which is government subsidized. For example, State Council researchers recently called for a “systematic” approach to promoting healthy development of the industry.
Three Gorges PowerPoint presentation
(November 11, 2009) A fascinating PowerPoint presentation by Song-kai Yan from Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure Inc., providing an overview of the Three Gorges dam. The report offers a number of stunning photographs of the dam itself, and the area surrounding the project—both before and after construction.
Probe International 