(May 18, 2011) China’s drought has caused the Three Gorges reservoir level to drop precipitously, crippling the mighty Three Gorges Dam. Shipping on the Yangtze River has now halted, power generation has been compromised, and geological hazards are heightened.
Dai Qing: On The Completion of the Three Gorges Project
(April 7, 2011) Dai Qing, Chinese investigative journalist and Probe International Fellow, delivered the following speech about the Three Gorges Dam project in November 2010 while on a speaking tour in British Columbia, Canada. In her address, she reports that the problems predicted by dam critics published in her books, “Yangtze! Yangtze!” and “The River Dragon Has Come!,” are now coming true.
Huang Wanli’s predictions for the Three Gorges come to pass
(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.
Chinese dams accused of flooding the region
(November 14, 2008) Many of the 300 representatives at a recent forum in Bangkok have blamed Chinese authorities for releasing water from three hydropower dams on the Mekong River in August, which devastated hundreds of communities downstream.
Major flooding risk could span decades after Chinese earthquake
(September 7, 2008) Up to 20 million people, thousands of whom are already displaced from their homes following the devastating Chinese earthquake, are at increased risk from flooding and major power shortages in the massive Sichuan Basin over the next few decades and possibly centuries.
Three Gorges Dam withstands largest flood peak
(August 1, 2007) The Yangtze River’s highest flood peak this season has passed through the Three Gorges Dam as of Sunday. Seventeen sluice gates have been opened to keep water level below the designed 144 meters and to ease the flood pressure on the mid-lower reaches.
Flood closes down Yangtze Three Gorges ship lock
(July 30, 2007) The Yangtze River Three Gorges Navigational Bureau halted two-way traffic at the Three Gorges ship lock earlier this month as water influx into the dam measured an alarming 51,000 cubic meters per second, a result of continuous rainfall in the upper reaches. The lock, 6.4 km long and costing RMB ¥6.2 billion (USD $810 million), was built into the mountainous terrain on the northern bank of the Yangtze and has been the only navigable route past the dam since 2003.
Three Gorges reservoir lowers water level to brace for floods stream
(July 8, 2007) The water level in the Three Gorges reservoir has been lowered to around 144 meters from 144.89 meters in order to brace for floods upstream.
Flood control along Yangtze cannot solely rely on Three Gorges Project, warns expert
(June 15, 2007) The Three Gorges Project is not yet ready to provide flood protection for every community downstream of the giant dam, says a Chinese expert who warned that major flooding could occur this summer.
Vice premier calls to strengthen flood-control
(May 27, 2007) Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu has called for strengthened efforts in flood control and disaster relief in a season of heavy rains and floods in the Yangtze River, China’s longest.
Heaviest floods since 1998 could hit Yangtze valley
(May 24, 2007) The most "severe floods" since 1998 might hit the Yangtze River this summer, a senior flood-control official warned yesterday.
Yangtze drought leaves 1 mln people short of water
(February 27, 2007) Severe drought has had a debilitating effect on the Yangtze River, China’s longest waterway, over the last two weeks, leaving 1.5 million people in Chongqing Municipality with water shortages, local water authorities said on Monday.
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.
Largest network for monitoring sinking land OK’d
(February 10, 2007) China’s largest network for monitoring land subsidence, or land sinking, has passed appraisal tests, the China Geological Survey, a bureau of the Chinese Ministry of Land and Resources, said yesterday.
Water level in Yangtze River continues to fall
(August 25, 2006) The water level in the Yangtze River’s middle and lower reaches continues to fall and is threatening navigation along the waterway.
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