Three Gorges Probe News

While some commentators say the Chinese government has improved its relocation techniques since the controversial methods employed during the construction of the Three Gorges project, recent reports suggest it’s the same old story. According to a report from Global Times, residents in Pingshan country in China’s Sichaun province say the compensation packages being offered by the government are far too low.  read more »

The flood control capacity of the Three Gorges Dam is substantially less than officially stated, analysts and former officials say.  read more »

This article was originally published by the New Century Weekly (Xinshiji zhoukan) on Aug 17, 2010. It has been translated by Probe International. 

On July 29, 2010 the Three Gorges Project Construction Committee (TGPCC)—acting under the State Council—hosted a conference to discuss when to fill Three Gorges’ reservoir this year. The preliminary plan, decided at the conference, is to begin filling the reservoir on September 10, which is earlier than last year.  read more »

Thirty-five years on from the horrific Banqiao Dam disaster, heavy flooding is causing some Chinese to wonder whether the new Three Gorges Dam is an engineering triumph or a tragedy waiting to happen.  read more »

After all the turbines in the Xiaowan hydropower station sputtered to life this week in China’s south-west Yunnan province, the Asian giant was able to lay claim to having the world’s largest hydropower capacity.  read more »

In the wake of the devastating floods in Pakistan, a number of environmentalists and other critics have blamed failed development policies for worsening the impact of floods. Shedding more light on this debate is Jeremy Hsu, from Livescience.com who, in a recent piece, looks at the “natural” disasters that have continually wreaked havoc on floodplain populations.  read more »

The Chinese central government has spent 2.43 billion yuan (357 million U.S. dollars) on flood control and drought relief as of Aug. 23 this year, and the country's flood-fighting efforts would continue, government officials said here Wednesday.  read more »

The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze, China's longest river, withstood the year's second largest flood peak Tuesday afternoon amid heavy rain in its upper reaches.  read more »

China’s dams have been plagued by environmental catastrophes, civil unrest and billions of dollars in cost overruns, causing officials to slow down their break-neck dam construction plans, for a time. But now, according to reports from state media, with public relations targets for renewable energy projects to meet, China is gearing up to expedite approvals for hydro projects in the second half of this year.  read more »

Even as an increasing number of critics say China’s spree of infrastructure-building is behind the recent rise in geological disasters, officials aren’t convinced. According to media reports, Xu Shaoshi, Minister of Land and Resources, says that while geological disasters are certainly on the rise, major dams and other infrastructure projects should, in no way, be blamed.   read more »