Unique System
The controversy Three Gorges Dam is being filled-up. The reservoir with the largest water power station in the world has been built in the river Yangtze. However, the opponents of this construction are concerned about possible huge ecologic disaster with human victims. The works of magnificent size in the value of 25 billion dollars have been built since 1993 in several stages.
Stage one of building the dam was completed in 1997 by building a coffer-dam. In stage two between 1998 and 2003, water turbines were installed. It should be completed in six years, when a water reservoirs will be created 600 kilometers long and more than 100 meters deep, which may store about forty billion cubic meters of water.
The first two 700-megawatt generators shall be commissioned, according to the time schedule, in August, and the other two shall be commission in October. Twenty six generators shall originate the same volume of power than ten thermal power stations. In the dame, a unique system, not tested until now, of five ship locks for navigation. In the final stage of construction, the water level shall rise to 156 meter. At that time, all turbines will work. It is supposed that at full performance, they will produce 84 billion megawatt hours of electric power per year.
Two million migrants resettled
However, many experts from all over the world take this work with concern. They criticize particularly the resettlement of two million inhabitants, as well as existence of many cracks in the dam, some of them several tens meters long. The dam has damaged several important archaeologic findings, losing historical artifacts of priceless value.
According to the Chinese designers, the dam will help to tame the 3,900 km long river Yangtze which, in the last century, was flooded several times, with more than 300,000 victims. The nature protectors are concerned about threat for a large territory of environment, which might result in immense ecologic disaster. Under the water with the area of more than one thousand square kilometers, hundreds of villages, towns, and factories will disappear, the river flow will slow-down by increased volume of sediments. Concerns exist also in connection with the conditions for use of water from the reservoir, as it should serve as a source of drinking water for millions of people.
Actual Information
Dam – height: 181 meters, width: 126 meters, length: 1,500 meters
Lake – area of 640 sq.km, depth: 100 m, 40 billion cubic meters of water
Flooded area – 1,000 sq.km
A. Potancok, Markiza, 22. 6. 2003, p. 44-45
