No Way! Three Gorges Dam Designers Failed To Consider All Environmental Impacts, Says Official

[hatrack]

:eyes:

THE Three Gorges Dam project failed to consider the full impact it would have on the ecological environment during its early design, an official admitted yesterday. But he said the impact could be minimized by proper water discharges from the reservoir to the Yangtze River.

The dam, the world's largest hydroelectric project, had contributed to the lowered water levels of Dongting Lake in Hunan Province and Poyang Lake in Jiangxi Province, Wang Jingquan, deputy inspector of the flood control and drought relief office affiliated to the Yangtze River Water Resources Committee, told Xinmin Evening News.

China's two largest freshwater lakes are drying up during the current drought in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The level of the Yangtze River would be lower after the dam's reservoir began storing water in October every year, thus causing water from the two lakes to pour into the river, Wang told the newspaper.

Water levels of the Poyang Lake had been above 19.5 meters but dropped to just 16 meters after the main part of the dam was completed in 2006, according to Tuesday's Oriental Morning Post.

EDIT

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nsp/National/2011/06/02/The%2BThree%2BGorges%2BDam%2Bfailure/

[Donnachaidh]

1. Not to mention the archeological losses

Just spent the afternoon watching documentaries about the hanging coffins and the Bau sites that are now underwater....

[Nihil]

2. Well, that's just typical of the corruption inherent in the industry ...

... where profit is placed higher than safety or environmental ...
... oh wait ... did you say "hydroelectric"?

That's all OK then ...


:evilgrin:

[kristopher]

3. That's an excellent point; corruption, incompetence and errors are ALWAYS with us.

[The Croquist]

4. Hard to believe that China would do this

So they have the most polluted cities in the world. They signed Kyoto and despite the fact that they were exempt from any CO2 restrictions while many of their largest customers were obligated, increasing their business, it was a brave moral thing to do. They signed Kyoto!!!!! All hail the paradise that is China. It's an economic powerhouse! They are #125 of 228 in per-capita GDP in the whole world!