A massive landslide this week is only the latest natural disaster critics believe the Three Gorges Dam has caused—even officials admit there have been 70% more landslides and bank collapses in the dam’s reservoir area since it was built 12 years ago. Lily Kuo for Quartz reports.
Earthquakes, dams and responsibility
(November 21, 2011) Matt Ridley, writing about dams and induced seismicity in the Wall Street Journal, cites Probe International’s reports on the consequences of building the Three Gorges Dam: the Yangtze is drying up downstream, and seismic activity has increased 30-fold.
China’s deadly dam fever
(August 31, 2011) Financial rewards for bypassing dam safety procedures have
created an unrestrained dam-building boom in China that is threatening lives and the
environment.
Pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi urges Burma to save the Irrawaddy
(August 16, 2011) Burma’s pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, has called for a reassessment of Burma’s massive 6,000 MW Irrawaddy Myitsone dam project.
Chinese study reveals Three Gorges Dam triggered 3,000 earthquakes, numerous landslides
(June 1, 2011) A study by seismologists at the China Seismological Bureau indicates that the massive Three Gorges dam on the Yangtze River caused a “significant” increase in seismic activity along the dam’s reservoir.
Three Gorges Dam: trigger of severe earthquakes?
(March 2011) The giant structure located in China has already caused more than 3,400 (so far minor) earthquakes. Scientists are now warning that a much bigger disaster could be looming on the horizon. A study by seismologists at the China Earthquake Administration (formerly known as the China Seismological Bureau) indicates that the massive Three Gorges dam on the Yangtze River “significantly increased” seismic activity along the dam’s reservoir.
Environment officials claim hydroelectric power is dirtier than thermal power, not a clean solution at all
(January 27, 2011) China’s ministry in charge of environmental protection says hydropower can be dirtier than coal power. Chinese Hydroelectric Engineering Association accuses them of slander.
Expect geological trouble at Three Gorges: report
(January 24, 2011) A new report from the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) says the Three Gorges valley is prone to geological hazards such as tsunami-causing landslides and reservoir-induced earthquakes, which are most likely to occur within 3-5 years after the reservoir reaches its maximum height.
China to usher in a “golden decade” for hydro power sector
(January 19, 2011) As China rushes to meet lofty goals to cut carbon emissions, officials say the country’s hydropower sector will experience a “golden decade.”
China counts £130bn cost of economic growth
(December 28, 2010) The Guardian’s Jonathan Watts writes that the cost of pollution, deteriorating soil and other impacts cost China 1.3 trillion yuan, or 3.9% of the country’s GDP, in 2008.
Chinese Academy of Engineering says Three Gorges project’s feasibility study was “completely correct”
(December 20, 2010) On December 17, 2010, the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) issued an assessment of the Three Gorges project’s feasibility study and affirmed that the plan and conclusions of the study are correct.
Whispering a dirty secret: Chinese officials set to speed up construction of dams
(December 16, 2010) China is once again giving the green light to contentious hydro-electric projects.
Resettlement as vehicle for corruption: China perfects the crime
(December 15, 2010) The Chinese government is undertaking a massive relocation program to solve natural disasters that critics say are “man-made.”
Tonnes of debris fished from Chinese dam
(December 11, 2010) Beijing – Workers in central China have fished 78,000 tonnes of debris out of the water at the Three Gorges Dam since October, state media said Saturday.
Mekong River: Challenges from deforestation and water transfer
(November 23, 2010) The flow of the river will be weakened seriously or it can dry out completely if its waters is transferred to other rivers, like a man who loses his blood, wrote Prof., Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Tran.
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