Three Gorges Dam: A Model of the Past
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
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.
- Read the International Rivers Press Release on the completion of Three Gorges Dam
- Read the new factsheet: "China's Three Gorges Dam: A Model Of the Past"
- Watch the slideshow: Three Gorges: Through the Lens of the Artist
- "Tide of Opposition Swells as Largest Dam Nears Completion," Inter Press Service
- Read Peter Bosshard's travel diary about traveling down the Yangtze.
- Read the Xinhua article, "Three Gorges Corp. defends reservoir plan amid drought debate"
- Read the latest on the problem of Reservoir-Induced Seismicity (or RIS) in China and worldwide.
- Read a New York Times article about the social and environmental problems with the Three Gorges Dam.
- Read a Science news article on the environmental challenges to the Three Gorges Dam.
- Watch our videos on the Three Gorges Dam.
- Learn more about Three Gorges Dam on Google Earth