Three Gorges Probe

Three Gorges Probe covers the social, environmental, scientific and economic impacts of big dams and other large-scale water projects in China, as well as alternatives to such schemes.

Launched in 1998, Three Gorges Probe is a bilingual website and electronic news service that provides uncensored coverage of the Three Gorges dam -- the world's biggest dam. Three Gorges Probe has broken major stories on the endemic corruption, human-rights abuses and technical flaws associated with the dam, and produced a detailed energy analysis showing the economic inefficiency of Three Gorges power.

We believe projects such as Three Gorges can be built only in the absence of good information about their real costs and benefits, and in the absence of an informed public debate and the rule of law.

History

Our involvement with the Three Gorges dam in China stretches back two decades. In 1989, Canadian engineers produced a feasibility study for the dam and recommended that the project "be carried out at an early date." Pro-dam members of the Chinese leadership then silenced debate within China about the wisdom of building the dam and pushed the project through the National People's Congress in 1992.

Probe used Canada's Access to Information laws to obtain the feasibility study, and organized and published a scathing peer reviewed critique of it by internationally respected experts in Damming the Three Gorges: What Dam Builders Don't Want You to Know (Probe International / Earthscan Publications, 1990 and 1993).

Probe subsequently published English translations of two collections of essays on the Three Gorges project written by eminent Chinese scholars, compiled by crusading journalist Dai Qing, and banned in China: Yangtze! Yangtze! (Probe International / Earthscan Publications, 1994) and The River Dragon Has Come! (M. E. Sharpe, 1998). These books have become seminal texts in the literature on the Three Gorges project.

Today, Three Gorges Probe has expanded its coverage to include all big dams and large-scale water projects in China, the restructuring of China's power sector, appeals by China's scientific and environmental experts to scale back China's dam building in earthquake prone areas, first-hand accounts by citizens who bear the brunt of lost land and livelihoods and harsh repression, and the extraordinary coverage by China's intrepid and increasingly outspoken press who dare to print the truth rather than propaganda.
 
Editor (English): Grainne Ryder
Editor (Chinese): Mu Lan

Three Gorges Probe stories may be reproduced freely, although we do ask that you credit Three Gorges Probe and send us the relevant clippings or Web site addresses.

Three Gorges Probe welcomes submissions. To submit an article or for press comment, please e-mail PatriciaAdams@nextcity.com or fax 1-416-964-8239.

Three Gorges Probe is available in both English and Chinese.

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	Absence of Justice On November 18, 2002, the government of Dachang Zhen (Great Prosperity Town) in Wushan County, Yangtze River, sent the following dispatch about the wharf and the house belonging to Lu Chengming, who was to be relocated: In order to accomplish the task of properly resettling those who are being relocated from our village, and to ensure the total success of the clearance from the dam area, a number of county, town and village cadres have repeatedly been to Lu Chengming’s home in Xingsheng Cun (Abundant Village) to persuade him to see reason, but comrade Lu Chengming still refuses to be resettled...  read more »

	Bright Sun City's Dark Intent Since 1993, a year after the Three Gorges dam was approved by the National People’s Congress, two kinds of population resettlement in the Three Gorges area were officially sanctioned.2 Either the local government could take responsibility for relocating people in nearby areas, on higher slopes or “in areas that needed to be developed,” under a policy known as “resettlement with development,” or individuals destined to be displaced by the dam could arrange their own resettlement, outside of the reservoir area, known as “relocating oneself.”...  read more »

	Lost Lives: The Plight of the Migrants The Three Gorges Project approved by the National Peoples’ Congress in 1992 included a policy to settle all affected people on higher ground in the area nearby. These people were categorized as those resettling locally, and included those who resettled higher up on the slopes above the Yangtze, those who relocated to work for a local enterprise, and those who looked for friends and relatives nearby who they could move in with...  read more »

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