Water & Risk Management

Week 7

Assoc. Professor Seungho Lee

Graduate School of International Studies1 May 2012

Introduction

Historical Background

Specifications

Dam Politics & Critical Issues

Concluding Remarks

Seminar

Historical roots of construction of 3GD

Specifications of 3GD

Dam politics & critical issues including resettlement issues

Early Stage◦ First suggested by Sun Yat-sen in 1919 – potential

for a large scale hydroelectricity generation◦ Feasibility Study by US in the 30s & Soviet Union in

1955

Consensus building in the 1950s-1970s◦ On-going debates on feasibility Great Leap

Forward (1958-1961) & Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) discussion halted

◦ Gezhouba Dam – a testing ground for resolving technical issues Construction 1970-75 planned completed in 1989

Reform period (1978~)◦ More electricity for development required

US Bureau of Reclamation study in the early 1980s

◦ Opposition – Political Consultation Committee, ‘No’ & unfavourable public views (Dai Qing)

Breakthrough in Tiananmen Square in 1989

◦ Emblematic event – opposition died, strong

censorship on the media, big flood events in 1991

◦ Endorsed in 1992

Primary purposes◦ Flood control One of the most flood-prone areas

◦ Hydro-electricity generation Essential for central & eastern China, substituting 40

million tons of coal/year

◦ Enhancement of inland navigation Golden Waterway – accounting for 80% of China’s

waterborne traffic

Further project details◦ China Three Gorges Corporation Webpage

http://www.ctgpc.com.cn/en/index.php

Items Contents

Construction period 1994-2009

Location Sandouping near Yichang, Hubei Province

Total Cost* RMB 200 billion (US$ 24 billion)

Size of reservoir 600 km long

Height 175 m

Generation capacity 18.2GW (World No.1)

No. of resettlement 1.4 million

* Financing – 3 ways1) 3GD Construction Fund, collected by levying RMB 0.015/kw of

electricity sold annually2) Revenue from Gezhouba Dam3) Domestic loans – the China Construction Bank

Source: China Three Gorges Dam Corporation Http://www.ctgpc.com.cn

Big ships (10,000 tons)

Small ships (3,000 tons)

East

West

Three Gorges Dam

Political significance◦ Undemocratic decision-making Little access to & manipulation of information Lack of freedom of speech (Dai Qing’s arrestment)

◦ Approval in midst of fierce opposition ◦ Favorable conditions – 1989, flood in 1991, Li Peng

Leadership & actors◦ Central government institutions – 3GD Construction

Committee under the State Council◦ 3GD Development firm, 3G Project Office – allocation of

funds & construction◦ Relationship between office & localities Responsibility of treating wastewater local governments Financially poor, bankrupt (Wanzhou)

The State Council

3GD Project Construction Committee

3GD Project Development Corporation

3GD Project Office

3GD Resettlement Office

3GD Project Ecological & Environmental Protection Coordinating Small Group

Critical issues◦ Human impacts – 1.4 million resettlement, more?◦ Engineering concerns – alternative option, small dams?◦ Cost over-run? – US$ 24 billion planned, more?◦ Environmental effects – siltation, toxic

wastes, earthquakes, rare species (white river dolphins)◦ Water pollution – urban wastewater, toxic wastes

(discharged from Chongqing Municipality, 40 million)◦ Disease risks – malnutrition for relocatees, lack of

medical services

Wenchuan Earthquake, May 2008◦ 7.9 Richter scale earthquake, perhaps caused by the

Zipingu Dam, 5.5km away ◦ 80,000 people killed, 5 million homes lost◦ Three Gorges Dam?

Present state of 3GD Project◦ 1st Phase: 1994-1997, 2nd Phase : 1998-2003◦ 3rd Phase: 2004-2009 (November)◦ Water level reached full capacity (175 m), 26 Oct

201026 generators to produce 84.7 bil kw/h, annually (6

more generators installed)

Government audit in early 2006◦ No corruption so far but resettlement problem

acknowledged later◦ By end of 2003, misuse of US$ 7 million of funds

for relocation, US$ 5.38 million retrieved

Wushan, village affected by 3GD◦ Many not received compensation, Yunyang county, RMB

20,000 planned to allocated to each family, eventually only 10,800

◦ Less job creation – laid off from SOEs ◦ Tourism – stinky & stagnated pool of water◦ Landslide – moving the resettled up to hills in 99 & 03◦ Many farmers forced to use their life savings on mortgages

to pay for the new homes with US$ 25/month

Challenges since its operation (as of Oct 2010, AFP)◦ Landslides & mudflows: forced relocation of additional

28,000 people, caused by rising water◦ Layers of trash & debris building up in the reservoir

threatening to jam the dam200,000 m3 of rubbish collected per annum 80 Olympic

size pools, discharged by over 150 million people upstream

3GD – Engine for modernization?◦ Flood control, hydroelectricity generation &

navigation

◦ Critical issues

Dam politics◦ Water flows uphill to power & money

◦ Sanctioned discourse

Hydraulic Mission◦ Not reached the post-modernism yet

◦ More development for the next stage against all odds?

Dams for China◦ Negative environmental impacts – developed countries

decommissioning dams, i.e. US

◦ Hydropower/flood control – essential for China’s modernization?

Yangtze drought (Guardian, 25 May 2010)◦ Jan-April drought, Hubei worst hit 40% less than average

◦ Damage to crops, threatening wildlife, qustions on viability of SNWT Project

◦ A release of 5 bil m3 water from 3GD

◦ Sacrifice of hydroelectricity for irrigation, drinking water & ecosystem protection (finless porpoise)

Why drought? Ma Jun, due to 3GD!

Three Gorges Dam (Discovery Channel, 2007)◦ 1998 Flood event: justification of 3GD

◦ Three Gorges Dam – specifications

◦ Energy (hydroelectricity), Coal, CO2

◦ Tourism & inland navigation

◦ Resettlement issues: 1.13 mil, 4,000 villages

◦ Dam safety: siltation, earthquakes

Essential for China’s future?