The three gorges dam will replace up to 50 million tons of raw coal. Impact of the three gorges project on ecological environment. Yangtze river and the three gorges dam, august x y. Environmental impact assessments of the three gorges. It is argued that the construction of the dam will prevent fish from spawning upstream, thus diminishing population sizes. The three gorges area alone accounts for 20 percent of chinese seed plantsmore than 6,000 species.
The dam has blocked approximately ten million tons of plastic bags, bottles, animal corpses, trees, and other detritus that would have otherwise have flowed out to sea. The three gorges dam in the changjiang river, china, represents an extremely largescale engineering scheme. Problems caused by three gorges dam, yangtze three gorges dam. 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. Due to their potential adverse ecological impacts belmar et al 20, chen et al 2015, grill. Here are more three gorges dam pros and cons to take a closer look at as well.
Major paper, virginia polytechnic institute and state university, virginia. As it stands right now, however, the article needs some major renovation to become npov. 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. It is the largest hydroelectric dam in the world and as such is responsible. Environmental impact of the three gorges dam jump to. Linkage between three gorges dam impacts and the dramatic. After the three gorges dam was constructed and the water level of upper reaches was raised, the upper river flows more slowly than before and the sand and rocks cannot be rushed down in time and are piled up in the river beds and reservoir. While thats up for much debate, what it is for sure, is the largest hydroelectric dam of the world. China has acknowledged that its showcase three gorges dam, the worlds largest hydroelectric project, has caused a slew of urgent environmental, geologic and. The yangtze river contains 300 different fish species. Holding the title of the largest population in the world, china needs a sufficient energy source that can support its flourishing industry, busy economy and ever growing society. Three gorges dam environmental impacts vision launch. The 26 generators have a total capacity of 18,200 megawatts equal to ten modern nuclear power plants.
As the worlds largest dam, many of the impacts have had macroscale. The reservoir behind the dam occupies the three gorges, one of the most. Shanghaifor over three decades the chinese government dismissed warnings from scientists and environmentalists that its three gorges dam the worlds largesthad the potential of becoming. The environmental impacts of this huge project have.
Quantifying the impact of the three gorges dam on the thermal. This would have a negative impact on the local fishing industry and also on the livelihoods of fishermen who depend on it. Problems caused by three gorges dam, yangtze three gorges. Impacts of three gorges dam on regional circulation. The three gorges dam is considered by some to be a wonder of the world. Impact of the three gorges dam abstract the three gorges dam was built to provide hydroelectric power, flood control, and greater navigation access to the yangtze river in central china. The only reason it may lessen the criteria of the three gorges dam article as a ga is that i did not include a summary section in it.
Priyadarshana encyclopedia of life support systems eolss figure 1. The dam and its impounded reservoir has triggered large. Environment impacts assessment eia of three gorges dam. Linkage between three gorges dam impacts and the dramatic recessions in chinas largest freshwater lake, poyang lake skip to. 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. A marvel of engineering, the three gorges dam will start operating at full capacity later this year. The three gorges dam is a steelconcrete gravity dam. The three gorges dam was meant to alleviate the environmental problems and restore forested areas but as it has been made evident the areas surrounding the dam have deteriorated. 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. The three gorges dam tgd is the largest hydropower facility in the world, influencing the riverine hydrology and mass flux in the yangtze river. 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. The three gorges dam was built to provide hydroelectric power, flood control, and. Environmental impact of the three gorges dam wikipedia. The national development and reform commission of china reports that the three gorges dam reduces coal consumption by up to 31 million tons annually.
Impacts of three gorges reservoir on the sedimentation. Dam is an important way of waterresources utilization in large rivers. Three gorges dam project, yangtze river, china peter h. As one of the worlds largest hydropower projects, the three gorges dam tgds 156175 m height storing test in flood recession seasons during 20062011 has aroused international attention. Impact of the three gorges dam on the quality of riverine. The impact of the three gorges dam on summer streamflow in. While many of the consequences of the dam will not be felt for many years. The water is held back by the innate mass of the individual dam sections. The impact of three gorges dam on the downstream eco. Environmental and social issues of the three gorges dam in china. A significant example of such a dam is the three gorges dam on the yangtze river in china.
In an unexpected statement, chinas government has just acknowledged the serious problems of the three gorges dam the project is now greatly benefiting the society in the aspects of flood prevention, power generation, river transportation and water resource utilization, the government maintained, but it has also caused some urgent problems in terms of environmental protection, the. We studied the impact of the impoundment of the three gorges reservoir tgr since 2003 on the spawning stock and the natural. The stateowned china three gorges project corporation has a selfinterest in developing more hydropower projects, and has taken on several new dams on the middle and upper reaches of the yangtze river. Introduction he three gorges dam was a dream of many chinese people, but today it has become a reality. The project is chinas three gorges dam, and it has already been the subject of. Impacts of three gorges dam environmental impact environmental issues with the tgd, which is currently under construction onyangtze river, include degraded water quality, detriments to wildlife, potential riverbank collapses, and potential silt related falling of coastal areas. Beijing scientists predicted that when the worlds largest hydropower project came online in 2003, it would be an environmental bane. As a result, damage to an individual section should not affect other parts of the dam. Already under way is an epic experiment on how a dam impacts the environment. More than a mile wide and over 610 feet long, the dam is the most extensive and most expensive engineering project in the world. Environmental and social issues of the three gorges dam in.
The three gorges reservoir region is approximately 200 kilometres 120 mi in length, while the three gorges themselves occupy approximately 120 kilometres 75 mi within this region. There have been little to no attempts made toward removing. Environmental impacts assessment of the three gorges project in. Environmental risks of the three gorges dam howstuffworks. Sparked 1,344 projects supporting the dam in the hubei reservoir area. 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. Unesco eolss sample chapters oceans and aquatic ecosystems vol.
Three gorges dam has caused urgent problems, says china. The impacts of the construction of three gorges dam in china. Chinas environmental challengesa marvel of engineering, the three gorges dam will start operating at full capacity later this year. Environmental impact assessments of the three gorges project. 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. After the operation of the three gorges dam at full capacity at the end of 2008, new environmental and ecological issues are emerging. Quantifying the impact of the three gorges dam on the. The dam was built in a stretch of the yangtze known as three gorges because of the canyons formed by immense limestone cliffs.
Conflict and the three gorges dam university of utah. The migration route of this species is blocked by the first dam, the gezhou dam, and its reproduction is affected by the three gorges dam tgd, one of the largest dams in the world. Dam defenders said, however, that many cultural and historical relics are being moved to higher ground and that the rise in the water level would not affect the scenery as much as the critics claimed. In the development of this new course, the writers heavily dwell on combining. So too would our interests combine in carrying out the three gorges. Little is known about its impact on the riverine dissolved organic matter dom quality. A chinese report found that the environmental impact from the three gorges dam was limited, despite concerns the dam contributed to a dire drought this year. Although at first seen as controversial, it seems as though the benefits provided by the dam by far outweigh the costs of construction, both economically and environmentally.
Departmentcenter of water resources and environment, sun yatsen university, guangzhou. The yangtze river, considered the cradle of chinese civilization. Dam area, 617 of them were merged into 407 different companies while the other 1012. This study examines the impact of the worlds largest dam, the three gorges dam tgd, on. Of further concern are claims the dam might become an environmental disaster. Abstract the three gorges dam project in china constitutes one of the greatest water supply projects in the history of humanity. It has a positive environmental impact on emissions. The environmental impacts associated with large scale dams often have significant negative impacts on the environment. The construction of the three gorges dam in china and the subsequent impoundment of the yangtze river have induced a major land use change in the three gorges. List of top 16 three gorges dam pros and cons green garage. Dam in india and drew worldwide attention to problems of the chinese hydro. Has the threegorges dam made the poyang lake wetlands. It is a multi objective dam with great benefits in flood control, power generation, navigation and so on.
In this work, the water quality and dom quality for water samples collected from the upstream and downstream sites of tgd. Dec 11, 2015 linkage between three gorges dam impacts and the dramatic recessions in chinas largest freshwater lake, poyang lake. Environmental impact assessment eia of three gorges dam. We studied the impacts of three gorges reservoir tgr on the sedimentation regimes in the downstreamlinked two largest chinese freshwater lakes, lake dongting and lake poyang. Impact of the three gorges dam on culture, heritage, peoples lives, weather, transportation in and along the yangtze river. 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 three gorges dam is about 594 feet 181 meters tall and 7,770 feet 2,335 meters long. The three gorges dam is the worlds largest capacity hydropower station located in the hubei province along the yangtze river in china, which began operations in 2003. Chinese government acknowledges problems of three gorges dam. Its difficult to deny the value of hydropower as an alternative energy source to coal, but the project has possibly caused unintended consequences. The dam, 2309 m in length and 181 m in height, is the largest ever built in china figure 1. The ecological and environmental consequences of large dam projects have.
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. It affects species in the area, some endangered, water quality, and may increase the likelihood of earthquakes and mudslides in the area. The dam has produced benefits in terms of flood con. The creation of the dam and associated reservoir has impacts both upstream from the dam and downstream. It has also been one of the most controversial due to its massive environmental, economic, and social impacts. As the worlds largest dam, many of the impacts have had macro. Review problems caused by the three gorges dam construction in the yangtze river basin. Three gorges dam tgd is a tremendous hydrological project in china, it affects the ecological environment and influences the survival of animals downstream. Greatly improved hubeis economic growth, as well as other provinces surrounding tgd. The increasing sediment is one of the main three gorges dam disasters. Oct 12, 2007 chinese government acknowledges three gorges dam disaster by john chan 12 october 2007 after hailing the huge three gorges dam for years as a major national achievement, the chinese.
At a local level, the construction of the dam will lead to the almost complete rearrangement of the narrow areas where people live and move, framed by steep land formations and connecting large areas of settlement. The three gorges dam stretches more than two kilometers across one of the greatest rivers in the world, the yangtze. In 2008, scientific american called the three gorges dam an environmental catastrophe. Recently, humanity has created what may be one of the single most significant alterations to the natural world ever. The three gorges region has attracted global attention due to the three gorges dam, which is changing the culture and environment of the region.
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. Dam defenders point to the environmental benefits given by the dam, such as the availability of hydroelectric power, which is much cleaner than the coal burning china has relied heavily for decades. The three gorges dam is the worlds largest hydroelectric dam and the biggest construction project in chinese history. 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. Around the world, the construction of largescale dams has become a controversial environmental issue. National center for case study teaching in science a struggle.
The eis report has been employed by the 65 chinese government at all levels as an authoritative guideline for tgp policy and plans. This article uses the controversy over chinas three gorges dam to examine the. It spans the third longest river, the yangtze river, in the hubei province of china. Why the three gorges dam was built, please see more deltails, click here. Marta ponseti estrats, gestio del patrimoni sl and. When finished in 2009, the three gorges dam on the chang jiang yangtze river will be the largest dam in the world. 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. This study examines the impact of the worlds largest dam, the three gorges dam tgd, on the thermal dynamics of the yangtze river china. Impact of three gorges dam, yangtze dam impacts yangtze.
Double three gorges, would combine to generate twice as much power as the. The three gorges dam in the hubei province of china is a huge but highly criticized project. One big benefit gained from the three gorges dam is the high amounts of power it is producing. 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. National center for case study teaching in science background with the recent increased focus on renewable energy sources, hydroelectric dams are being constructed at a record pace. It is the largest hydro power project in the world. Chinas three gorges dam is used as a case study due to its. Worldwide, there are more than 45,000 large hydroelectric dams, plus countless smaller dams built for navigation, flood control, and other uses duflo and pande, 2007. The three gorges dam has been the worlds largest power station in terms of installed capacity 22,500 mw since 2012. Gleick introduction the three gorges dam tgd and associated infrastructure is the largest integrated water project built in the history of the world. The dam, the largest in the world as of 2008, will provide hydropower, help to manage flood conditions, and increase the navigability of the yangtze river. Water brief 3 three gorges dam project, yangtze river, china.
Introduction the three gorges dam is the largest concrete structure on the planet. Environment three gorges dam is said to be a clean energy source, but some organic breakdown of vegetation in the reservoirs cause the release of carbon dioxide gas. 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. Provinces like sandoupingzhen and taipingxizhen have been greatly affected after the construction of the three gorges dam began. Homes, factories, mines and waste dumps will all end up underwater, along with their contents, which likely include toxic. The three gorges dam had become a national goal for almost 80 years and was realised upon the dams completion in 2009. Approach to sustainable development modified from munasinghe m. Three gorges dam environmental, economic, social, and. Chinese government acknowledges three gorges dam disaster. As it fills, the enormous reservoir will submerge cities, 140 towns and 1,350 villages source. Three gorges dam sits on two major fault lines jiuwanxi and ziguibadong. Chinese sturgeon acipenser sinensis is the flagship species of the changjiang river. The three gorges dam and reservoir on the yangtze river, china, has been an ambitious and controversial project. Luo xx, yang sl, zhang j 2012 the impact of the three gorges dam on the downstream distribution and texture of sediments along the middle and lower yangtze river changjiang and its estuary, and subsequent sediment dispersal in the east china sea.
The resulting three gorges reservoir tgr extends 660 km along the waterway of the yangtze river in surrounded by complicated terrain. The dam also functions to store and regulate the downstream releases of water in order to provide flood control and navigational support in addition to hydropower generation. The three gorges dam on the yangtze river in china will be the largest hydroelectric dam in the world. 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. Environmental impacts of the three gorges dam from space. Impact of three gorges dam on the upstream of yangtze. The 185 m high three gorges dam, considered as the worlds largest hydroelectric dam was constructed with an intention to boost chinas poor economy and for other factors like flood control, to promote tourism, to fulfill the electricity needs of the large population of china and for better navigation. An examination of chinas three gorges dam project bases on the framework presented in the report of the world commission on dams.
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