(June 12, 2010) Huang Wanli, renowned hydraulics engineer and Tsinghua University lecturer, first voiced his opposition to the large-scale damming of rivers by opposing the construction of the Sanmenxia dam in 1957. In the 1980s he became a vocal opponent of the Three Gorges project and contributed to Yangtze! Yangtze!, the important critique of the dam compiled by China’s celebrated investigative journalist, Dai Qing. Now, as the Three Gorges dam is beset by monumental operational problems, Huang Wanli’s prescient analysis helps explain why it was a mistake to build the biggest dam in the world. Read his 1993 interview with Dai Qing.
Cleanup Commences on Rubbish Clogged Three Gorges Dam
(April 11, 2010) The large amounts of floating garbage brought by the summer floods which had accumulated at China’s Three Gorges Dam has reportedly been cleared to ensure the normal operation of its generators and system of boat channels, the local authorities said.
Flood, drought fears in a haywire climate
(February 23, 2007) China is on alert this year for the extremes of natural disasters. Water Resources Vice Minister E Jingping has warned local governments of the increasing possibility of floods in major rivers, and droughts elsewhere.
Yangtze and Pearl river estuaries now ‘dead zones’
(October 20, 2006) The Yangtze River and Pearl River estuaries have been listed as newly registered “dead zones,” according to a study released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Yangtze River suffers rare drought in flood season
(August 14, 2006) The Yangtze is in the grip of a rare drought, with water in many sections of the river at historically low levels. Navigation authorities have reinforced patrols along the waterway, warning vessels against running aground.
Drought alert for parched Sichuan
(August 14, 2006) Lack of rain and heatwave making safe drinking water scarce.
Estuary of China’s longest river to undergo dredging
(July 25, 2006) The Yangtze River estuary will undergo its third major dredging over the next three years.
Silt at stable level on Yangtze River
(July 24, 2006) Forestry and water-control projects are helping to keep silt at a stable level on the Yangtze River, particularly near the Three Gorges dam, the official Chinese news agency says.
Future of the west set to follow Yangtze
(July 3, 2006) Viewpoint Beijing’s determination to modernise the Yangtze will transform the mainland’s economic landscape over the next 20 years.
Moves to curb river pollution
(March 23, 2006) China is stepping up its fight against sewage and waste in the Yangtze River in answer to growing public concern about ecological disaster.
Plan to tame Yangtze floods
(March 12, 2006) China and the UN are preparing an ambitious plan to prevent any repetition of the disastrous 1998 floods on the Yangtze river.
China longest river shorter than believed: scientist
(February 22, 2006) Chinese scientists recently measured the length of the Yangtze River, China’s longest river, and found that it is 80-some kilometres shorter than believed.
Floods test Zhu’s green policy
(December 13, 2005) The flood crests surging down the Yangtze present a political test for Premier Zhu Rongji and his supporters, who have been trying to take the greener path to ease the toll of perennial summer floods.
Yangtze River pollution at dangerous levels
(January 17, 2002) A new report raises fresh concerns about the potential health risks of the massive Three Gorges Dam. Critics of the project fear clean-up funds allocated by the Chinese government will not be enough. Canadian environmental group Probe International says in 2000, Chinese academics pleaded for $37 billion for environmental projects relating to the dam’s construction.
Government report says China’s longest river is growing more polluted
(January 16, 2002) A Chinese government agency issued a remarkably bleak assessment of pollution on the Yangtze River on Tuesday, raising new concerns about the cleanliness of the reservoir that will soon collect behind the massive Three Gorges Dam.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
Lisa Peryman
Probe Media
Other News Sources
Probe International 