Posted on 05/20/2011 7:16:48 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
China has acknowledged new problems at the notorious $37 billion Three Gorges Dam.
A statement today from the Wen Jiabao and the State Council said the dam had caused severe problems to the environment, shipping, agricultural irrigation and water supplies in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, according to Global Times.
Other unspecified problems were mentioned: "Problems emerged at various stages of project planning and construction but could not be solved immediately, and some arose because of increased demands brought on by economic and social development," the statement said.
Currently a severe drought is affecting 4 million people in the region downstream of the giant dam.
Three Gorges was already controversial because to build it the government flooded 13 cities, 140 towns and 1,600 villages. The dam was supposed to help with China water supply issues, but its primary use was as the world's largest hydroelectric dam.
Experts at Guardian say the timing of this announcement may suggest a move away from hydroelectric power:
"Peter Bosshard of International Rivers said: "While powerful factions within the government are pushing for the rapid expansion of hydropower projects, others are warning of the social and environmental cost of large dams and the geological risks of building such projects in seismically active regions.
By highlighting the unresolved problems of the Three Gorges dam now, Premier Wen Jiabao, who has stopped destructive projects in the past, may be sending a shot across the bow of a zealous hydropower lobby which would be only too happy to forget about the lessons of the past."
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
When that good old communist quality control kicks in, they’ll have more water than they want, and faster too.
I’m not defendign the Red Chines, but the article’s not complete. The other main reason for the dam was the annual flooding of the river. Look what’s happening along ourMississippi now..the Yangtze did that almost every year. It had to be controlled. The Chinese love the ONE BIG PROJECT. The dam may not have been the best way to solve the problem. I’ve read somewheres that they are having BIG problems with the dam because the silt build-up at the base of the dam, from the water carrying it downstream, is much greater than expected..to the extend that the ship elevators are often unusable becayse the channel leading to them is filled with silt..
What does the infamous Professor Wang have to say about this?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2726223/posts
http://www.cnbc.com/id/43197816
I liked your first link
Thanks!
Only problem is Brazil soybeans are on the East Coast of South America. There is talk of building a railway to take the soybeans to ports on the West Coast.
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__________FROM 2007_________
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/business/worldbusiness/05iht-soy.4.5164446.html?pagewanted=all
In Rondonópolis, in Mato Grosso, Rogério Salles watched recently as a handful of combines harvested the last soybeans on his 7,000-hectare farm.
“Just because we’re producing a lot of beans here doesn’t mean we’re making money,” he said.
A higher-valued Brazilian currency and a bottlenecked transport system are working against many Mato Grosso farmers like Salles. Most soybeans are trucked south more than 1,600 kilometers along two-lane highways full of potholes. At the export ports, some ships wait at sea for up to a month before finding docking space to load the beans.
“If major investments are not made in transport infrastructure, China cannot count on this region being a stable supplier to its market,” Salles said. “There’s a lot riding on this.”
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