Posted on 10/10/2004 7:08:47 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
With China’s construction of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangzi River and rapid construction of industrial complexes in China’s eastern regions, some are pointing out that the West Sea (Yellow Sea) could soon become a “Dead Sea” as contaminated materials flow into the body of water.
When construction on the Three Gorges Dam is completed in 2009, the amount of fresh water emptying into the West Sea from the Yangzi River would diminish and raise the salinity of the sea, bringing about changes in ecology. With the addition of pollutants flowing into the West Sea following the rapid industrialization of eastern China in places such as the Bohaiwan, Hebei, Shandong, and Changjiang industrial regions, it could spell environmental disaster for the body of water. Grand National Party lawmaker Kim Hyeong-o, who sits on the National Assembly’s Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Committee, pointed out through policy materials for parliamentary inspections Sunday, “When the Three Gorges Dam is completed, a man-made lake 13 times the size of that produced by [Korea’s] Soyang Dam would be produced, and accordingly, the amount of fresh water entering the West Sea would drop 10 percent, increasing the salinity of the sea and causing concern of an ecological and environmental disaster.”
Kim also said, “There is a government report indicating the amount of fresh water going into the West Sea has decreased; with the start of the reservoir behind the Three Gorges Dam in 2003, the level of low salinity in the seas off the west coast of Jeju Island has decreased from 40m to 20m. What’s more, if the contaminants going into the West Sea drastically increased with China’s rapid industrialization, it might cause a synergy effect, and the West Sea could become a dead sea.” According to materials published by China’s State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), marine pollution flowing into the seas from China’s major rivers totaled 6.19 million tons in 2003.
According to a recent study by Korea’s National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, there were huge environmental changes in the East China Sea between Aug. 8 2002 (before the first stage of the construction of the Three Gorges Dam was completed) and Aug 8 2003 (following the first stage’s completion). The salinity of the sea increased from 28.015‰ to 29.145‰ and the average temperature increased from 27.35 degrees to 27.85 degrees, but the concentration of floating material used as nourishment by plankton decreased to one fourth its previous level; 11.850mg/L to 3.095mg/L.
Fisheries Ministry fisheries policy bureau chief Kim Chun-seon said, “We acknowledge that if the amount of water flowing into the West Sea from the Yangzi River were to diminish as a result of the Three Gorges Dam, it would influence the ecological environment, but claims that the Yangzi’s water would diminish 10 percent have yet to be objectively proven. We’ve charged the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute and Busan National University with research to weight the effects the Three Gorges Dam might have.”
Construction on the Three Gorges Dam started in December 1994.
(Yoon Jeong-ho, jhyoon@chosun.com )
Ping!
But it's ok. They are exempt from Kyoto protocols and other UN mandates on the environment.
Not to deny that China has a huge pollution problem, that will probably get worse before it gets better, but this sounds like a long chain of "What if's" to me.
Just like the Aral Sea. Those commies are all the same. Not that I care particularly.
I've been to China, down the Yangtze, and to the Three Gorges Dam site. The pollution is sickening. The river has black oil in it, the ships which travel along it spew black smoke, and there is trash floating. We even saw a floating dead pig. And nations bitch at us for getting out of Kyoto? Go to China and see the pollution they are pumping into our world!
Excellent points!!
The amount of electricity produced by the Three Gorges Dam will have a significant positive impact on air pollution. The people now burn coal for heat as well as producing electricity.
In addition, the Yangtze flooding has killed 1 million people in the last 100 years. Hopefully, this will stop with the TGD completion.
What's your take on the dam? Will it hold? What about earthquake dangers?
A lot of communities and families was rooted up and displaced by the government, but I don't hear and complaining about that.
Heck....I can remember when virtually every river on the northeast coast was the same way. Ever see the Hudson or East rivers circa the 1940's-1950's?
Just dam.
Hey! They're not white, Anglo-Saxons. Leave them alone!
Chinese track record on flood control project is far from exemplary. It often led to downstream river drying up. We are not talking about whining and nitpicking of Western enviro-wackos. We are talking about the possibility of huge mismanagement, a real disaster.
If China does not build the dam, then she will have to build aircraft carriers and a blue navy in order to secure access to the Middle East for oil to run the power plants to power her growing industries. We have a choice, dead fish or Chinese blue seas navy. I rather she sink her profits into dams and hydroelectric power and have less money available for weapon systems.
China already has plans for carriers,irrespective of whether the 3 Gorges dam comes online or not.They would need carriers to ensure that the technologically superior Indian & Japanese navies don't close of chokepoints to the Pacific & the Indian ocean.If newsreports are anything to go bye,China could have atleast 2 carriers in service by 2015 armed either with the Russian SU-33s or China's own navalised J-10s & if the EU lifts it's arms embargo by then,The French Rafale would also have a chance.By that timeperiod,India will be having 2 carriers(including a brandnew homebuilt one) while Australia & Japan would have one ship capable of amphibious assault/deploying V/STOL jets.
If the dam comes online,China can go in for more carriers ,not less.Besides why exactly is it building a blue-water fleet(the only thing lacking now is a carrier)??It want's to establish itself as Asia's pre-eminent power.
Hmmm. Can't say. I have a degree in Health, not engineering. :-)
I live off the East River and it looks pretty good now! Wasn't around to see NYC waterways in the 40s and 50s.
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