(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.
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.
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.
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.
More landslides likely as Three Gorges reservoir rises
(November 9, 2009) The Three Gorges reservoir will face an increasing number of landslides and other geological dangers if government officials persist in raising the level of water to its maximum height, says a report by Caijing magazine. The report, citing a research paper by the Chongqing Political Consultative Conference, says the higher the reservoir, the greater the risks will be for geological hazards.
Dam’s Role in Earthquake Revisited
(November 9, 2009) A recent scientific study adds to suggestions that a dam built near an underground geological fault line helped trigger the massive earthquake in Sichuan in May 2008 that killed more than 69,000 people and left almost 18,000 missing.
Three Gorges officials admit they can’t fill reservoir, for now
(November 16, 2009) Promises from the Chinese government that Three Gorges would be the world’s largest generator of reliable power seem to be evaporating before the project can be declared finished.
Heavy Rains Create Mudslides and Mine Flooding in China
(July 25, 2009) A major rainstorm swept through central Hunan Province yesterday killing at least 14 people and forcing another 30,000 from their homes.
Four people dead, 53 missing in China landslide
(July 23, 2009) A number of workers at the construction site of the Changhe hydroelectric dam on the Dadu river were killed in a recent landslide. According to the government, heavy rains triggered the landslide in a remote and mountainous area of southwest China.
Three Dams Project
(July 14, 2009) China has undertaken the greatest project since the erection of the Great Wall and the Grand Canal — the Three Gorges Dam project. The Three Gorges Dam will be the largest hydropower station and dam in the world, with a 1.2 mile stretch of concrete and a 370 mile-long reservoir and 525 feet deep.
Killing mother nature with our green creed
(July 5, 2009) We in Britain are inclined to see the worst in massive state-driven projects, especially when these are promoted by governments that are undemocratic. We were right to be sceptical about the Soviet Union’s decision in the 1960s to divert rivers away from the Aral Sea, now largely a desert, and more recently about China’s Three Gorges Dam, which seems to be causing landslides, the displacement of millions of people and the extinction of the Yangtze River dolphin.
Faults and earthquakes in China monitored from space
(July 3, 2009) China is in a very seismically active area and has had many catastrophic earthquakes during its history. A joint European-Chinese team is using satellite radar data to monitor ground deformation across major continental faults in China to understand better the seismic cycle and how faults behave.
China environmental phenomena monitored from space
(July 3, 2009) Western China is a very seismically active area and has had many catastrophic earthquakes during its history. A joint European-Chinese team is using satellite radar data to monitor ground deformation across major continental faults in China to understand better the seismic cycle and how faults behave.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
Lisa Peryman
Probe Media
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