(June 4, 2008) CHINA is no stranger to natural disasters, but it has come a long way in how it deals with them. When a dam collapsed during a typhoon three decades ago, killing more than 80,000 people, it was several years before the outside world knew anything about it. Beijing’s reaction to last month’s earthquake in Sichuan, which is known to have killed nearly 70,000, has been refreshingly different.
Top 5 ways to cause a man-made earthquake
(June 4, 2008) Wired magazine lists building a dam as the one of the top five ways to cause a man-made earthquake, linking to recent Three Gorges Probe article "China’s deadly earthquake: Was the Three Gorges reservoir a trigger?"
Three Gorges press conference:
New Beijing News
New deal promised for Three Gorges migrants
Project officials say the government is planning to announce a new policy aimed at improving the lives of people relocated for the dam. Revenue from the dam will reportedly be used to help boost migrants’ living standards for 20 years after displacement.
Chongqing mayor loses sleep over jobs shortfall, environment
Wang Hongju reveals that he’s worried about the dearth of industry in the municipality, and environmental problems linked to the Three Gorges dam.
NASA monitors China’s Three Gorges Dam
Observations from the NASA satellites provide an overview of the Three Gorges dam’s construction since it began in 1994.
Visiting Three Gorges, Kalla wants to build more dams
Impressed by the Three Gorges Dam in China, the world’s biggest, Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla said Sunday that Indonesia needs to build more dams to solve problems of flooding and shortages of water and energy.
Former premier defends Three Gorges Dam
Former Chinese Premier Li Peng has spoken out in defence of the nation’s controversial Three Gorges Dam project amid widespread criticism over its environmental and social impact.
China to move last 100,000 residents away from Three Gorges reservoir
China will move the last group of more than 100,000 residents away from the Three Gorges reservoir area by the end of next year as the final part of a massive relocation plan launched in 1993 to resettle 1.35 million people.
Three Gorges Dam affecting weather, scientists say
Two years before its completion, the world’s largest dam is already changing the local weather, say scientists studying the Three Gorges Dam on China’s Yangtze River.
Poor management results in extra cost of Three Gorges project
Improper settling of accounts and contract management have resulted in an extra 488 million yuan (about 64.2 million U.S. dollars) to the total cost of the Three Gorges hydropower project, according to the National Audit Office (NAO) on Friday.
Three Gorges project running well, auditors say
Chinese auditors say they found no embezzlement or misappropriation of construction funds in the ongoing Three Gorges project; however, they did detect some problems and flaws in the project’s management.
China audit office runs rule over Three Gorges
Slightly higher construction costs on the Three Gorges scheme were among a minority of project weaknesses identified as being mainly due to the long build time, unclear rules and insufficiently strong internal controls, according to a report from China’s National Audit Office.
Three Gorges test-runs 700MW ‘domestic’ unit
The latest 700MW turbine-generator at the Three Gorges project in China has just completed 72 hours of test runs, taking the total number of units in operation to 16.
New funds for relocation of dam residents
China’s State Council has approved an additional 10 billion yuan (US$1.32 billion) in relocation money for the residents who move from the Three Gorges area, Xinhua news agency reported today.
This money will be added to the current 53.5 billion yuan of relocation fees, said the Three Gorges Project Construction Commission under the Cabinet. Up to 84 percent of the additional fees will be spent on residents in Chongqing Municipality, where most migrant residents are from.The remainder will be used for people in Hubei Province.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
Lisa Peryman
Probe Media
Other News Sources
Three Gorges Probe (Chinese)
Read Odious Debts
Probe International 