The Three Gorges Dam
The Three Gorges Dam Has Changed the Face of China
This scale model of the dam project shows the three major components:
It is the largest dam in the world and not built without a great deal of controversy. It is over 600 feet high and more than a mile across. The Yangtze was a wild and unpredictable river capable of causing great human tragedy during the spring floods. The dam is intended to control the river's flow as well as provide a significant amount of electrical energy and irrigation to the heartland. Construction of the dam has created a 400 mile long reservoir through the scenic Three Gorges raising the water 175 meters (over 600 feet) dislocating a million people and obliterating many cultural sites. Many cities along have used the river to dump untreated waste and chemicals into the river which will no longer be flushed away. The reduced flow of the river may increase the silting up of the waterway and its tributaries. The engineers claim the silting can be prevented by flushing the dam on a regular, but controlled, bases. Naturally a project of this immensity creates new, and perhaps unforeseen, problems which remain to be solved. Only the future will tell whether the government is up to the task.
Index to all China 2007 Adventures:
so be patient and come back to watch its growth.
This page was created by Bob "Belli" Frazee
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