Three Gorges Dam - Hard Engineering
- Created by: AmyPhipps2000
- Created on: 01-02-18 23:21
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- The Three Gorges Dam - Hard Engineering
- Purpose
- Designed to control flooding on downstream Yangtze River
- Occur during July-Sept monsoon
- Responsible for 70-75% of China's floods
- Killed 300,000 people in the 20th century
- Enables surplus of water to be diverted to Northern China
- Power Generation using HEP
- Reduces Greenhouse emissions
- Make river more navigable
- Aids businesses
- Industry (e.g large container ships (up to 10,000 tonnes)
- Recreational activities (e.g river cruise)
- Improve water supply by regulating flow
- Reduces water insecurity
- Designed to control flooding on downstream Yangtze River
- Key Facts
- Dam cost $25 million
- Funded by different groups such as Brazil
- Largest HEP dam - 2,335 metres long
- 600 km long reservoir
- Constructed between 1994-2006
- Dam cost $25 million
- Costs
- Social
- 1.3 million people displaced from 1500 villages
- Livelihoods lost
- Loss of cultural hertiage
- Ethnic minorities (e.g Tujia) have been marginalised
- 13 cities, 140 towns and 1,350 villages flood
- 100,000 acres of fertile farmland lost
- Yields 10%of China's grain, 50% of which is rice
- 100,000 acres of fertile farmland lost
- Resettlement issues
- Unequal compensation (e.g. having to buy houses at a greater cost than compensation
- Only land for 125,000 farmers due to inundation of land
- Farmers without land trained for city jobs
- Hard to adapt to growing new crops and a new culture
- Relocated to lower quality of land
- 80% of rural areas lack access to sanitary toilets - resulting in water borne diseases
- 2 million cases of cancer due to high arsenic levels
- 1.3 million people displaced from 1500 villages
- Environmental
- Decreased biodiversity
- 300 fish species can't travel upstream so population falls
- Erosion causes landslide will threaten fisheries
- 47 rare, protecting species threatened
- 300 fish species can't travel upstream so population falls
- Decomposing veg releases methane
- Release when water passes through turbines
- Affect ecosystem
- Change in water temperature
- Water quality low
- Waste from sewage, industry and farms
- Submergence of factories, mines, waste dumps and industrial centres release silt, pollutants and rubbish
- Increase likelihood of earthquakes and mudslides
- Decreased biodiversity
- Economic
- 1500 factories lost
- Displacement cost $100 million
- New jobs not materialised
- People had to buy bottled water
- Political
- Corruption and human rights issue
- Increased terror threat
- Social
- Benefits
- Social
- Reduced flood risk for 100 million people
- Increased life expectancy
- Many new settlements are better built, have better infrastructure and services.
- Provide clean drinking water
- Reduced flood risk for 100 million people
- Environmental
- Renewable energy source
- Green way to provide flood protection
- Reduced air pollution
- Renewable energy source
- Economic
- China's GDP increase by 22%
- Economic growth of $82 billion
- 5000 jobs created
- HEP can be sold to cover construction costs
- Navigation improves access to business in places such as Pudong
- Decrease water insecurity
- Increased irrgation
- Total capacity of 18.3 KW and annual power generation is 84.7 billion KW/h
- Domestic and international tourism
- China's GDP increase by 22%
- Social
- Purpose
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