Over 300 species of fish in the yangtze river will be trapped by the dam, including 47 rare or endangered species, including the yangtze river dolphin. The three gorges dam, then, lies at the uncomfortable center of chinas energy conundrum. However, the high flow at the remaining stations in the lower reach is not noticeably alleviated due to the diminishing influence of the dam on distant downstream flows and the impact of the lakes downstream of the dam that act to. Over the past 2,000 years, there have been more than 200 catastrophic floods along the yangtzes banks source. The dam, 2309 m in length and 181 m in height, is the largest ever built in china figure 1. After the operation of the three gorges dam at full capacity at the end of 2008, new environmental and ecological issues are emerging. This paper gives a brief description of the three gorges project and its environmental impact assessment process, as well as major efforts to control environmental problems brought about by the project. The dam body was completed in 2006, and was fully operational in 2008. This is the first english book talking about the three gorges project ecoenvironmental monitoring system tgpeems. The area is chinas most densely populated region, its most developed and also among the regions most burdened by. National center for case study teaching in science a struggle. The three gorges dam has been the worlds largest power station in terms of installed capacity 22,500 mw since 2012.
May 19, 2011 china has acknowledged that its showcase three gorges dam, the worlds largest hydroelectric project, has caused a slew of urgent environmental, geologic and economic problems. Even the chinese government, often highly optimistic in public forums regarding their infrastructure projects, admitted that they suspected this massive dam project could cause a significant level of environmental damage. Three gorges dam project, yangtze river, china peter h. Cyjvs assumptions in its ecological and environmental assessments are based on either no data or data that is outdated, nonverifiable, and representative of only a narrow band of conditions. Analysis of the tgd planning process the wcds seven strategic priorities 32. Aug 12, 2011 hydropowerthe travails of the three gorges dam are a cautionary tale for laos and its southeast asian neighbors as they wrestle with the pros and cons of damming the lower mekong river.
Three gorges dam sits on two major fault lines jiuwanxi and ziguibadong. Managing the three gorges dam to implement environmental. Map showing the poyang lake catchment, with a poyang lakes location in relation to the changjiang river, the three gorges dam and the east china sea. Assessing the influence of environmental impact assessments on science and policy. The paper takes chinas authoritative environmental impact statement for the yangzi yangtze three gorges project tgp in 1992 as a benchmark against which to evaluate emerging major environmental outcomes since the initial impoundment of the three gorges reservoir in 2003. Linkage between three gorges dam impacts and the dramatic. To build three gorges dam, a great amount of historical sites with cultural relics are submerged or partly submerged, including over 60 sites of paleolithic age, over 80 neolithic age sites, and more than 470 historical sites from han dynasty 202 bc 220 ad to ming 68 1644 ad and qing 1644 1911 ad dynasties. It has also been one of the most controversial due to its massive environmental, economic, and social impacts. Impact of three gorges dam on the upstream of yangtze river and its tributaries image collection byte conversion resizing cloud masking training site creation change detection color slicing supervised classification class statistics confusion matrix fig. With regard to the chinese assessment of upstream environmental hydrology, cyjv simply notes.
Impact of the three gorges dam on the quality of riverine. The dam has plenty of positive impacts, it wasnt built just to cause landslides and displace millions. The three gorges dam on the yangtze river has unfortunately lived up to. Positive and negative effects of the three gorges dam project in china essay pages. Green economic practices of the three gorges project. It presents lessons learned in construction of large dam projects at home and abroad in this field, identifies existing problems before suggesting a scientific improvement plan. The three gorges dam had become a national goal for almost 80 years and was realised upon the dams completion in 2009. While thats up for much debate, what it is for sure, is the largest hydroelectric dam of the world. The dongting lake is the first large lake that connects yangtze river after it flows out of tgd, meanwhile, it accounts for 48% of the total snail habitation in china. Quantifying the impact of the three gorges dam on the. Yangtze river and the three gorges dam, august x y. The impacts of the construction of three gorges dam in china. The reservoir created by three gorges dam threatens to flood the habitats of those species along with over 400 others, says jianguo liu, an ecologist at michigan state university and guest. Three gorges dam in china changed the rotation of the earth duration.
Sustainability in construction and environmental impact of the construction industry essay pages. Three gorges dam has caused urgent problems, says china. Three gorges dam environmental impacts kuscera youngblood. Mar 25, 2008 the reservoir created by three gorges dam threatens to flood the habitats of those species along with over 400 others, says jianguo liu, an ecologist at michigan state university and guest.
China has acknowledged that its showcase three gorges dam, the worlds largest hydroelectric project, has caused a slew of urgent environmental, geologic and. Jul 06, 2017 the three gorges dam tgd is a remarkable, farreaching project in china. Three gorges dam tgd, the largest in history, recently completed in china, brings with it many social and environmental concerns. Problems caused by three gorges dam, yangtze three gorges. The eis report has been employed by the 65 chinese government at all levels as an authoritative guideline for tgp policy and plans. In 2008, scientific american called the three gorges dam an environmental catastrophe. Three gorges dam environmental monitoring network and. Environmental impact threatened species include yangtze dolphin, chinese sturgeon, finless porpoise landmarks scenic deep gorges. The three gorges dam project from a systems viewpoint. Environmental impact assessment eia of three gorges dam.
In this work, the water quality and dom quality for water samples collected from the upstream and downstream sites of tgd. This study was conducted to assess the impact of tgd on changes in the ecological environment, snail distribution and schistosomiasis transmission in dongting lake area. Environmental and social issues of the three gorges dam in china. The three gorges dam in china is the largest dam ever built. The three gorges dam project on the central yangtze near yichang, construction of which officially began in 1994 and was largely completed in 2006, has been the largest and most ambitious attempt to harness this potential. Oct 23, 2017 three gorges dam major environmental, economic, social, and political issues economic, environmental, social, and political concerns have been raised about the tgd project, both before the project was launched and in recent years. Author summary three gorges dam tgd is a tremendous hydrological project in china, it affects the ecological environment and influences the survival of animals downstream. The impacts of the construction of three gorges dam in. The three gorges dam is a hydroelectric gravity dam that spans the yangtze river by the town of sandouping, in yiling district, yichang, hubei province, china. Three gorges is set to be fully operational in 2009 four years ahead of schedule. National center for case study teaching in science background. The impact of the three gorges dam on summer streamflow in. Construction of bridge and tunnel construction essay pages.
Why could chinas three gorges dam cause an environmental. Environmental impact assessments of the three gorges. The three gorges dam likely mitigated the occurrence of high. The number of concrete dams is gradually growing as dam heights steadily increase, but the new trend is towards the concrete faced rockfill dam and rcc dam, the number of which is gradually rising. Its impacts on the biodiversity and ecological processes in the region are causing concern to ecologists worldwide. It affects species in the area, some endangered, water quality, and may increase. The three gorges dam will replace up to 50 million tons of raw coal.
Environmental risks of the three gorges dam howstuffworks. Three gorges dam environmental impacts vision launch. Geologists fear that rapid changes in water pressure when the reservoir levels are changed during flood season could activate already shaky ground and trigger an earthquake a phenomenon known as reservoirinduced seismicity. Description of the three gorges dam history 14 reasons for a dam at the three gorges 16 5. In the seven months following the 2006 increase in. Environmental impact assessments of the three gorges project. Impact of three gorges dam on the upstream of yangtze river. In this work, the water quality and dom quality for water samples collected from the upstream and downstream sites of tgd were investigated.
The three gorges dam has had a big impact on these areas in china. Hydropowerthe travails of the three gorges dam are a cautionary tale for laos and its southeast asian neighbors as they wrestle with the pros and cons of damming the lower mekong river. More than a mile wide and over 610 feet long, the dam is the most extensive and most expensive engineering project in the world. The three gorges dam tgd is a remarkable, farreaching project in china. Qing was jailed for 10 months in 198990 after criticizing the three gorges project and, by extension, li peng, the former chinese premier and soviettrained engineer who spearheaded the dam s construction. Little is known about its impact on the riverine dissolved organic matter dom quality. The use of hydroelectric turbine generators will reduce chinas dependency on coal, a hydro carbon that produces greenhouse gases. The dam created a vast reservoir and locks that facilitate dam. Environmental and social issues of the three gorges dam in. An examination of chinas three gorges dam project based.
The three gorges dam is situated in western hubei province, china. Impact of three gorges dam on the upstream of yangtze. Water brief 3 three gorges dam project, yangtze river, china. Abstract the three gorges dam project in china constitutes one of the greatest water supply projects in the history of humanity. The dam and associated environmental alterations may result in a number of regional changes in terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity, as well as in ecosystem structure. Environmental, demographic, and social impact assessments of the three gorges project were completed by the environment impact assessment department of the chinese academy of science eiadcas and. The three gorges dam project on the yangtze iver is expected to be the largest hydroelectric dam in the world. The original intent of three gorges dam was for flood control. Now complete, the concrete gravity dam stretches 2,309m across the yangtze river near the town of sandouping, located in the yiling district of yichang, hubei province, at a height of 185m. Environmental impact assessment eia of three gorges dam tgd, china. It spans the third longest river, the yangtze river, in the hubei province of china. Issues and interventions 3 4 xibao xu 5 state key laboratory of lake science and environment, nanjing institute of 6 geography and limnology, chinese academy of sciences, nanjing 28, china 7 corresponding author, email. This is the first english book talking about the three gorges project eco environmental monitoring system tgpeems. Moreover, filling the three gorges reservoir holds back 39.
Sustainability is when environment, society and economy are all stable and balanced, so that progress can be made. Environmental relationships in the three gorges reservoir. Geographical overview of the three gorges dam and reservoir highland, l. An evaluation of its effect on energy substitution and carbon dioxide reduction jiaqi liang with 26. It is an indelible three gorges dam disaster and a great. Quantifying the impact of the three gorges dam on the thermal. Beijing scientists predicted that when the worlds largest hydropower project came online in 2003, it would be an environmental bane. The reservoir behind the dam occupies the three gorges, one of the most. Dai calls three gorges the most environmentally and socially destructive project in the world. Problems caused by three gorges dam, yangtze three gorges dam.
Three gorges dam environmental, economic, social, and. The report on the assessment of the environmental impact of the three gorges hydropower complex, which was subsequently accepted by the. Construction on the dam began in 1994 and was finished in october 2006. The environmental impacts associated with large scale dams often have significant negative impacts on the environment. Impact of the three gorges project on ecological environment.
The nations roaring economy is addicted to dirty, coalfired power plants that pollute the air and belch. After the chinese communist party defeated the kuomintang and seized power in 1949, mao sought. This study examines the impact of the worlds largest dam, the three gorges dam tgd, on the thermal dynamics of the yangtze river china. Gorges dam in 2009, a monumental undertaking that began in china in 1994 is planned for completion. The main motivations to proceed with the three gorges project for construction of the dam were. Qing was jailed for 10 months in 198990 after criticizing the three gorges project and, by extension, li peng, the former chinese premier and soviettrained engineer who spearheaded the dams construction. The three gorges dam tgd is the largest hydropower facility in the world, influencing the riverine hydrology and mass flux in the yangtze river. Figures 1 and 2, located on the yangtze river between chongqing. The dam extends across the yangtze river in hubei province, china. Gleick introduction the three gorges dam tgd and associated infrastructure is the largest integrated water project built in the history of the world.
The three gorges dam is considered by some to be a wonder of the world. The three gorges dam just the facts the three gorges dam is the largest and most powerful hydropower project in the world, a true engineering marvel. As the worlds largest dam, many of the impacts have had macroscale. An examination of chinas three gorges dam project based on. To what extent is the three gorges dam sustainable. The three gorges dam is the worlds largest hydroelectric dam and the biggest construction project in chinese history. The nations roaring economy is addicted to dirty, coalfired power plants that pollute the air. In terms of the former, the dam has displaced many already socioeconomically vulnerable communities, putting strain on the social fabric of the area and, in the process, drawing our attention to issues of. Inside the three gorges dam a man made disaster youtube. The creation of the dam and associated reservoir has impacts both upstream from the dam and downstream. Introduction he three gorges dam was a dream of many chinese people, but today it has become a reality. The analysis uses longterm observations of river water temperature rwt in four stations and reconstructs the rwt that would have occurred in absence of the tgd.