Three_Gorges_Dam

THE THREE GORGES DAM Firstly, for everyone who doesn’t know, the three gorges dam is a two thousand three hundred and thirty five metre long dam that has been built across the Yangtze river in China. It was initially built to provide hydropower, and to prevent flooding downstream of the river, where some of the major Chinese cities are, such as Shanghai, but instead it has caused, and will cause in the future, huge negative impacts on the surrounding area. As with all dams, there are also very large areas of land behind it that have been flooded. The first impact caused by the building of the three gorges dam is a huge displacement of people. 1.24 million people have had to move from their cities, towns and villages to make way for the dam, and because of flooding upstream. 1.24 million people. That is largest amount of people ever to have been moved by the building of a piece of infrastructure. So all these people have had to move from their homes, away from their land and their jobs, into new towns and cities. As china is already facing enormous population density issues, with many towns and cities having way too many people living in them, relocating another 1.2 million people into these already over crowded areas is going to, and has, put a strain on resources, such as food and housing. This also means that it will be very difficult for relocated people to find work, and provide for their family. The second impact of the dam is the fact that the flooding upstream is covering huge areas of amazing scenery, centuries old buildings and heritage sites. These areas, which are unlike anywhere else in the world, have been flooded and, even if the dam is taken down or collapses, will never be the same again. This is like Ularu being covered up, and is a significant impact on Chinese heritage and culture. The building of the dam has also led to the endangerment and extinction of many native species, such as the Yangtze River dolphin. The third, and maybe the most menacing impact of the dam, is the threat of the dam collapsing. There have been many reports suggesting that the dam is not safe, and may collapse. As the dam is bigger than any other dam that has ever been built, the scale of disaster caused by the collapse cannot yet be determined. However, as millions upon millions of people live down stream of the dam, we can only imagine that the collapse of the dam would cause an enormous amount of deaths and damages to people for kilometres. And as the world has never had to deal with a disaster of this magnitude, it is impossible to predict the appropriate response or consequence of this. Despite all these negative impacts, some people claim that the dam is good. They say that it is providing hydroelectricity to China. Although this is true, there is evidence that suggests that this clean energy could be created in a much safer, and much less destructive manner. Also, the dam is said to be good because it is preventing flooding downstream. This is turning out to be not such a good thing, as flooding of the river is part of the natural cycle, and many of the plants and animals in the area are accustomed and rely on the seasonal flooding, and are now becoming extinct. And also, is it really worth sacrificing the homes of people upstream, and incredible scenery and sites, to prevent some flooding downstream' So, in conclusion, the Three Gorges Dam is clearly a terrible project, and a huge mistake by the Chinese government. By creating a piece of infrastructure that seems to have been made as display of wealth and power, the Chinese government have displaced more than a million people, caused enormous damage to the areas around it and native species, and are risking the lives of millions of people with the possibility of the dam collapsing. In the words of a wise man, “The dam is a monster”.