Taming the dragon

Journal Article · Fri Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1993 · Amicus Journal

OSTI ID:272776

Magagnini, S

Can China be persuaded to stop construction of the world`s biggest dam? On its 3,500-mile journey from Tibet to Shanghai, the Yangtze River carves its way through the Three Gorges, a mystical 120-mile long gallery of fog-enshrouded peaks, sheer cliffs, and huge whirlpools. Three Gorges, which has inspired Chinese poets from Li Po (701-762 A.D.) to Chairman Mao, is so revered that its dramatic beauty appears on Chinese $5 and $10 bill. Despite its beauty and cultural significance, however, the gorges area could be destroyed should the Chinese carry out their plans to construct he world`s most powerful hydroelectric dam, and a war is being waged on three continents to keep the steel-and-concrete behemoth from going ahead. If built, the dam will electrify remote areas of China and supply power to 150 million Chineses as far away as Shanghae and hold back the floodwaters of the Yangtze which have killed millions. However critics content it will be an environmental and social disaster of epic proportions. The dam will also force the relocation of more than a million Chinese, the largest resettlement in world history.

• OSTI ID: 272776
• Journal Information: Amicus Journal, Journal Name: Amicus Journal Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 15; ISSN 0276-7201; ISSN AMJOE7
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

13 HYDRO ENERGY
CHINA
CONSTRUCTION
DAMS
ENERGY SOURCE DEVELOPMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANTS
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS