We just got back from a trip to the Three Gorges Dam and a boat trip on a section of Xiling Gorge, between the Three Gorges Dam and the Gezhou Dam. I have to admit, seeing the dam in person, you can’t help but feel impressed. It’s amazing that it was even possible to build a dam in a river the size of the Yangtze, let alone one that’s 101 meters tall and holds back a 39.3 km3 reservoir of water. It’s not only the biggest dam in the world, but according to Wikipedia it’s also the largest electricity-generating plant of any kind in the world.
The building of the dam has been pretty controversial – the rising water levels that come with a dam of that size have displaced 1.24 million people, flooded countless cultural heritage sights (of which Peter Hessler gives some excellent examples in his book River Town), and seriously disrupted the ecosystem in and around the river. Critics argued that the same amount of electricity could have been generated through a series of smaller dams, without having as much of an impact on life in and around the river, and without gathering together so much risk in one place (I’ve been told that foreigners aren’t allowed on, or to pass over, the dam, just in case our backpacks and Nalgene bottles aren’t as innocent as they look — and the dam is apparently near a seismic fault line).
But there are also benefits — most importantly, the huge amounts of electricity generated, which, despite the environmental impact of a dam of that size, is much cleaner than coal. Taming the Yangtze has also made it possible to control flooding downstream.
The Three Gorges Dam, seen from above
Wuhan is just a few hours downstream from this wall of water — I very much hope Chinese engineers know what they’re doing. I’ve been told that if something did happen and the dam burst, there are contingency plans to sacrifice a smaller city (rumor has it Jingzhou would have to go) in order to save the 9-or-so million inhabitants of Wuhan. I have my doubts that diverting the rushing flood waters would even be possible… I’ll just keep my fingers crossed that the massive amounts of concrete and steel will be enough to hold the Yangtze at bay.
Some fishermen try their luck downstream from the dam