Three Gorges Dam: A Model of the Past

"Newly Displaced Population," 2004
Liu Xiaodong, Courtesy of the Mary Boone Gallery, New York

The reservoir of the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest and most controversial hydropower project, was scheduled to reach its final height in November 2009 at 175 meters. The 660 kilometer-long reservoir displaced 1.3 million people and is wreaking havoc with the environment. Many of its impacts, including landslides and water pollution, are only now becoming apparent. China will need to deal with the project's legacy for generations to come. As the project has been completed, Intern

"Water Depth," Wushan
Steven Benson
ational Rivers has published a new factsheet which summarizes its legacy and calls for governments and developers to draw lessons from its impacts. We have also launched an arts page, which conveys the impressions from the Three Gorges Dam in music, photography, and painting. 

International Rivers will continue to monitor the social and environmental impacts of the Three Gorges Dam, and work to ensure that the right lessons are drawn for energy and water projects in China and around the world.

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