The Three Gorges Dam in China is the world's largest hydroelectric dam, aimed at flood control, power generation, and tourism while costing $25 billion and causing significant controversy over human rights and environmental impacts. It has led to the displacement of up to 1.9 million people, loss of historical and archaeological sites, and worsening pollution in the Yangtze River. The dam's construction has also raised concerns about increased geological hazards, including earthquakes, as it is located on major fault lines.

1. China’s Three Gorges Dam
is the world’s largest power
station.
Is it a curse or a blessing?
By Kella Randolph B.S., M. Ed.
https://vizts.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/three-
gorges-dam-view.gif

2. The Three Gorges Dam is the largest hydroelectric dam in the world. It is located in the middle of the tree gorges
on the Yangtze River, the third longest in the world, in the Hubei Province of China. The project was approved by
the Chinese government in 1992. However, construction didn’t begin until 1994. It is scheduled to be completed
by 2009. The $25 billion project is being internationally funded by companies, export credit agencies, and banks
from Canada, Switzerland, Germany, France, Sweden, and Brazil. Controversy about the project arises from
human rights issues (as many as 1.3-1.9 million people have been forced to relocate) and environmental impacts.
Map of Three Gorges Dam Site in
Hubei Province, China.
Courtesy of International Rivers Network.
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~lpohara/Pol%20116/Images/map3.jpg
Story: https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~lpohara/index.html

3. The Chinese Government has four
goals for the Three Gorges Dam
project:
• 1. Flood Control: The history of the Yangtze
River includes many devastating floods over
the centuries killing thousands of people and
causing millions of dollars in damages. The
dam will reduce the impacts of flooding
since it will have a flood control capacity of
22.15 billion cubic meters.
• Artist's rendition of the Three Gorges Dam.
• https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~lpohara/

4. 2. Power Generation: The use of hydroelectric
turbine generators will reduce China’s dependency
on coal, a hydro carbon that produces greenhouse
gases. The Three Gorges Dam will produce about
84.6 billion kilowatt hours of clean energy annually
Courtesy of Water Technology. https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~lpohara/Pol%20116/Images/watertechmap.jpg
Parts of Three Gorges Dam. Courtesy of Hillman Wonders of the World
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~lpohara/Pol%20116/Images/dam2.jpg
2. Power Generation: The use of
hydroelectric turbine generators will reduce
China’s dependency on coal, a hydro carbon
that produces greenhouse gases. The Three
Gorges Dam will produce about 84.6 billion
kilowatt hours of clean energy annually
4. Tourism: Since the Three Gorges Dam
Project is the largest hydroelectric dam in the
world, it is expected to be popular among
tourists visiting China.
(https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~lpohara/)

5. Spillway of the Three Gorges Dam. Courtesy of yangtzeriver.org
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~lpohara/Pol%20116/Images/
yangtzeriverdam.jpg

6. The Three Gorges Dam spans the Yangtze River near Shanghai, China.
It is the world’s largest hydro-electric power station.
https://goo.gl/images/76rjcA

7. Building and maintaining
the dam provided many
jobs.
• https://goo.gl/images/vCeXFW

8. Tourist come from all over the world to see the
Three Gorges Dam. http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/asia_pac_three_gorges_dam/img/1.jpg
https://goo.gl/images/1djx8A

9. Yangtze River cruise from Chongqing to Yichang
https://cache-graphicslib.viator.com/graphicslib/thumbs674x446/5494/SITours/3-night-yangtze-river-cruise-from-chongqing-to-yichang-
including-the-in-yangtze-river-110533.jpg
https://goo.gl/images/DjFx7F

10. Tourists view a model of
the Three Gorges Dam.
You can fly over and see
it from the air.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Three_
Gorges_Dam%2C_model_of_bridge_at_the_reception_center.j
pg

11. A gorge is a deep, narrow valley with steep rocky sides, often with a
stream flowing through it. Gorges are smaller and narrower than canyons
and are often a part of a canyon.
The lesser gorge on the Daning River
Compare the land before and after the
dam.
https://image.slidesharecdn.com/three-gorges-dam-1228156850338686-9/95/three-
gorges-dam-6-728.jpg?cb=1228127959
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/beautiful-view-of-daning-
river-lesser-three-gorges-china-gm476537050-66034973

12. The Three Gorges Dam
Notice how small the people look
beside it.
The lock system at the Three Gorges
Dam
https://goo.gl/images/UAojeD
https://goo.gl/images/eQrVk2

13. Ships and
boats from
upriver must
be lowered in
steps. So
these locks
have been
built to bring
them down
slowly.
https://mcgeetraveltales.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/img_1519.jpg?w=1000

14. Commercial barges
travel the river daily.
Boats must be
lowered via the locks
built beside the dam.
https://cdn2.i-
scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/980x551/public/2014/05/23/a59abc53583fd91579bf43c3
25d272d7.jpg?itok=Sq7flN2r

15. After the dam was built, the
water came up to the top of this
sign.
• http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/
contents/07spe/specrep01img/pic08.jpg

16. Rural life before being flooded out.
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-
s/03/d4/48/5c/yangtze-river.jpg
http://pages.vassar.edu/realarchaeology/files/2015/
11/blog-photo-2.jpg

17. Xiling Gorge
One of the three gorges through
which the river flows. Farmers
were removed from their homes
and made to live in these
apartments.

18. Reasons to Build the Three Gorges Dam
• 1.Improve navigation along the Yangtze River.
• 2.Major waterway for movement of coal, other goods and people
• 3.Prevent seasonal flooding which used to cause loss of life and
property along river .
• 4.Provide hydroelectric power desperately needed energy for growing
population
• 5.Reduce dependence on coal with environmental and health and
safety issues

19. Reasons NOT to build the dam
• Negative Environmental Impact
• Water Pollution. Ecosystem. Deforestation. Landslides.
Sedimentation. Economical Problems.
• Destroyed 1300 archeological sites
• Flooded many historical sites.
• Examples : Ba Civilization , Ancient Fossils at Dragon Bone Cave . Shibaozhai
Temple , Zhang Fei Temple .
• Reduced tourism

20. Deforestation and Landslides
• Deforestation took place for the construction of the dam
reservoir and for relocating the people who lived it that area.
• The Yangtze river surrounding was already unstable before building
the dam because all the lands are located on the steep slopes of the
Gorges.
• After the deforestation increased the risk of landslides. Because of
this, residents were forced to relocate for second time.

21. The main Yangtze River is one of the most
polluted waterways on Earth
• This is due to coal shipping, acid rain, and its location in the heart of industrial
China.
• 265 billion gallons of raw sewage are dumped into the river annually.
• Because of the dam prevents any of this material being washed out of sea, water
quality has become much worse since construction of the dam began.
• It was the only water source for millions of residents around the dam area, and
the life quality decreased.
• When the TGD is fully operational, there will be significant changes in water
temperature, silt levels, and seasonal flow fluctuations.
• Additionally, breakdown of vegetation, silt, and other organics at the bottom of
the reservoir will release significant amounts of greenhouse gasses (GHG).

22. Resettlement Issues
• 1. China’s highest state body warned that the Three Gorges Project
has “caused some urgent problems in terms of environmental
protection, the prevention of geological hazards and the welfare of
the relocated communities.”
• 2. Some villagers in Fengjie Country were relocated to a new village
site less than a mile away but were not given enough compensation
to get new housing
• 3. 20,000 people have been relocated for the second time due to this
project.

23. Millions of people are in danger.
Loss of Historical Sites and Treasures:
Ancient archeological sites flooded by the dam.
Among the potential tragedies of the Three
Gorges Dam project are over one thousand
sites of archeological and historical
importance that will be submerged and lost
forever upon completion of the dam.
Ancestral burial grounds and centuries-old
temples, fossil remains and archeological
sites dating as far back as the Paleolithic
Age risk being obliterated from public
access and scholarly pursuit if they are not
unearthed and relocated before the waters
rise.
Earthquake Tremors
• The Three Gorges Dam sits on two major earthquake fault
lines. In 2006 over seven months, scientists recorded 822
tremors around the reservoir.
• Earthquake, May 2008 ◦ 7.9 Richter scale earthquake,
perhaps caused by the Zipingu Dam, 5.5km away ◦ 80,000
people killed, 5 million homes lost.
• Reservoirs are know to have triggered earthquakes all over
the world.
• While the dam is built to withstand a strong earthquake(
withstand an earthquake of 7.0 on the Richter scale ), the
houses, schools, and buildings along the river are not and
millions are in danger.
• ◦ Water level reached full capacity (175 m), 26 Oct 2010 26
generators to produce 84.7 bil kw/h, annually (6 more
generators installed).

24. Plundering the Three Gorges
May 14, 1998
by Spencer P.M. Harrington
An unprecedented rash of looting is following in the
wake of construction of the Three Gorges Dam on
the middle reaches of China's Yangtze River. The
dam is the largest hydroelectric project ever
undertaken; 13 cities, 140 towns, more than 1,600
villages, and 300 factories will be submerged, and
nearly 1.5 million people relocated (see "Race
Against Time," November/December 1996). Salvage
archaeology in the region has been impoverished;
the initial budget of nearly two billion yuan ($250
million) for excavation and preservation was
reduced to 300 million ($37.5 million), and only a
small amount of that sum has been distributed to
local authorities because government officials have
been unable to decide which agency should
administer the funds. Full articles documenting the
Yangtze looting crisis are located on the
International Rivers Network website. Capsule
summaries follow.
http://archive.archaeology.org/online/news/china.
html

25. Sources
• http://www.pbs.org/itvs/greatwall/controversy1.html
• November2014 THE THREE GORGES DAM & Environmental impact
• Source: China Three Gorges Dam Corporation Http://www.ctgpc.com.cn
• ◦ China Three Gorges Corporation Webpage http://www.ctgpc.com.cn/en/index.php
• Three Gorges Dam (Discovery Channel, 2007)
• http://www.slideshare.net/webtel125/three-gorges-dam-presentation
• http://www.slideshare.net/kevindesmond/three-gorges-dam-pro-or-con