China / The construction of the "Three Gorges" dam on the South River was completed yesterday; The project will end in 2009
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Despite the live broadcasts of the completion of the "Three Gorges" dam on the Yangtze River in southern China yesterday, many of the evacuees on Chongming Island near Shanghai had not heard about it. Ke Chungui, a 49-year-old farmer who was evacuated from Yunyang County three years ago, heard about it from a foreign letter and then caught up on what was happening on the radio. He said that since he was evicted from his home he was unable to find a job. "They (the leaders) lied to us," he said, "they promised us a good life here, but our situation is much worse."
Ka is one of the approximately one million people who lived along the river and were forced to evacuate their homes due to the world's largest hydroelectric project (electricity generation using water), which is designed to block and store floodwaters and generate clean electrical energy; About a million more people are slated for evacuation.
The project - whose establishment began in - 1993 is a source of national pride. This is the largest engineering project in China since the Great Wall was built more than 2,000 years ago. According to the government, the project is essential to meet the country's energy requirements and will help control the Yangtze River; In the past, there have been many floods in the river that flows for 6,300 km, which resulted in the death of about 300 people in the last century. "The project will be completed in 2009 and will help control the floods, generate electricity and protect the environment," said the Chinese news agency "Xinhua". However, critics in China and abroad say that the project, which costs 25 billion dollars, could cause an ecological disaster due to the pollution that will seep from the remains of the abandoned towns, villages, factories and hospitals on the ground of the water reservoir.
With the completion of the construction of the dam and the blocking of the river, China began to fill a water reservoir - yesterday the water already climbed to a height of 106 meters. Xinhua said that 19 of the 22 dam gates in Hubei province were closed at 9:20 am, blocking the flow of the river. The other three gates will remain open to ensure the flow of water in the river in the next two weeks, which is necessary to fill the reservoir to a height of 135 meters; By 2009 the water will rise to a height of 175 meters. The closing of the dam will create a water reservoir with an area of about 600 square kilometers, two 700 megawatt generators will be activated from August and 26 turbines will produce 18,200 megawatts by 2009, energy equivalent to that produced by 10 coal-fired power plants.
The idea to build the dam on the Yangtze River was first proposed in 1919 by revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen, but technical obstacles and social unrest caused the plan to be shelved for 70 years. The three gorges of the river - after which the dam is named - are considered in China to be a powerful national symbol, whose level does not fall from the wall. For hundreds of years, the gorges have been a source of inspiration for poets and artists and even attracted many tourists from around the world. The sailing enthusiasts among them will be able to sail the river again on June 16.
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