The Economic Benefits and Environmental Problems of the Three Gorges Dam - Research Paper Example

The economic benefits and environmental problems of the Three Gorges Dam Introduction The Three Gorges Dam is the largest dam in the world. It is a hydropower project that is in the Hubei province, China. The dam is builtin the middle of tree gorges along the Yangtze River, which is the third longest river in the world (Spilsbury 29). The building of the dam began in 1994 though the Chinese government approved it in 1992. The plan for the project was to finish the dam construction by the year 2009. The budget for the project was $25 billion, and the Chinese government should not make it alone. The project received funds from export credit agencies, and banks of Germany, Brazil, Switzerland, France, Canada and Sweden (Gleick, Cooley and et al. 139). The first suggestion was given by Sun Yat-Sen, who was the president of China in 1919. It was a business vision that was aiming at improving the economy status of China. The river Yangtze was the potential water source for the reservoir since it is 3937 miles with a volume discharge of water of 960 billion cubic meters in the Sea of East China. This river never dries, and it is consistent with the amount of water flowing in it because it gets its water from the ice that covers the mountain range in the South-west, Chongqing (Kammerer 5). More to the economic benefits, the project, was to be built to reduce flood that was occurring at least once in every decade, and its effects were devastating to the Chinese community. The dam was engineered and designed to have three parts: ship lift, ship locks, and the dam. The drive of the dam was to store water thatwas used for hydroelectric harnessing and the ship lift and ship dock was for water vessels navigation to enhance trade to and from Shanghai (Trouw 16). The dam has a height of 600 feet and a width of 1.3 miles. These measurements were large enough to hold large volumes of water during the season when the ice melting realized a lot of water. The bigger the size the efficient it is to reduce water spillage to the land surfaces. It was fitted with twenty-six turbines that were rotated by the flowing water to generated electricity. These stations have the capacity to produce the power equal to eighteen power plants generating the energy from nuclear elements (Spilsbury 30). Five ship locks were constructed for large and heavy ship transportation and a ship lift to lift the small marine vessels over the dam wall of Three Gorges Dam. The construction caused migration of 1.3-1.9 million of people because of the changing water levels in the dam. The resettlement of people was to allow a safe margin of water in case the water volume flooded and spilled out of the dam region (Hung, McGrath and Smith 18). Since the project needed a lot of funds that the Chinese government could not raise, the government got a loan of $3.6 billion from the China Development Bank that was the primary lender for the project. Also, the Export credit agencies gave a loan of $1.4 billion toward the Three Gorges Dam construction. Five companies in Canada participated fully in supporting the construction of the hydroelectric dam. AGRA Monenco supported the development with $25 million that was featured in a contract in the year 1994 (Trouw 20). The Export Development Cooperation also financed the project among the other organization from Canada. It has contributed over $400 million towards the project through signing of more than one contract. Germany banks and export credit agency supported the project with $271 million. The Voith-Hydro collaborated with Siemens in 1999 and formed a new company called Voith Siemens Hydropower Generation that signed a contract worth $12.79 million. Among many supporters of the project, the World Bank did not support the construction because of the adverse environmental effects and the social impacts. These are the controversial issues surrounding the Three Gorges Dam and has attracted many critics and the Human Rights Body. Since the construction of the dam, more than 1.2 million people were displaced, 1350 villages, 13 cities, and 140 towns have been receiving floods seasonally (Chetham 13). Over the years, the dam has brought about controversial issues that have raised concern from the human rights organizations. The project has been facing extra cost charges, corruption, violations of human rights, resettling challenges and environmental impacts. The government of China approved the construction of the Three Gorges Dam for several reasons but mainly if focused on four goals. First, is to control floods along the River Yangtze. Over the years, this river has had adverse floods that caused the death of thousands of human beings.And it led to the loss of more than million dollars of properties that are destroyed during the floods (China and Network 33).The dam was to reduce floods at a calculated volume of billion cubic meters of around 22.15. The second goal was for hydroelectric power production. It was aiming at reducing the use of coal in China. Coal produces high rates of greenhouse gasses that are the contributing factors to global warming and climate change (Kammerer6). According to research, the dam will be producing a range of 84. 6 billion kilowatts amount of power that is environmental friendly annually. Thirdly, for navigation allowance along the river Yangtze both up and downstream. The dam will help thetransportation of goods and products from Chongqing to Shanghai. This will help improve the country’s economy (Curley 29). Finally, it was for tourism attraction. The Three Gorges Dam, being the largest in the world would attract many tourists in the country. Foreign exchange will earn the country profits and boost the economy. The benefits and the disadvantages of the dam will be discussed in details in the following part of this assignment. Economic benefits of the Three Gorges Dam The building of the dam has significance to the economy of the country. From the construction to its functioning, there has been a lot of financial input in the project from China and other countries. A cost-benefit analysis was carried out so as to determine the economic benefits of the dam (Chetham13). A cost-benefit analysis is the process of determining all costs that are involved in a business proposal or opportunities so as to derive the possible benefits of the business. China is a large nation, and for it to pump $24 billion of money for the hydroelectric power plant is an enormousinvestment. Cost benefitsanalysis was established so as to validate the project. In business, investments should be put in practice where there is a possibility of receiving profits in return. Also, the side effects of the project should not exceed the profits from the business but it should be manageable (Chen 219). During the cost-benefit analysis of the project, it attracted many critics because some scientists had concern for the ecological damage that the dam would cause. What if the project fails? China will suffer economically long enough for more than 40 generation who will experience the economic difficulties (China and Network 3). How much will the government of China save on coal expenses when the source of energy will be changed to hydroelectric power? In addition, how much of the environmental degradation will be reduced when fuel usage reduces? Do the impacts of theexistence of dam exceeding those of burning coal as a source of energy? Will the project provide consistent employment to the Chinese people and external employee or is it a project that gives many people hope and after a while all is down again? These were some of the significant risks that were being associated with the Three Gorges Dam. There are theseveral economic importance that are being associated with the power plant. Controlling of floods The plains surrounding the Yangtze River are vulnerable to floods due to its natural topography and the monsoon climate. Around the center of the river, there is a high population density because of the fertile soils and availability of water for irrigation. These factors have highly contributed to the increased population in this zone. When foods occur, millions of people drown and die loss of property and destruction of the crops (Kammerer 5). This natural disaster was happeningat least once in every decade leaving a devastated environment of lost life and property destroyed. For this reason, the government of China saw the importance of the dam construction so that flood impacts may be alleviated. With an aim of saving hundred thousands of life and reduce property loss in China. But the economicbenefit of the dam is flood control that was to be estimated by calculating the impact of the floods when the dam was constructed. In 1998, a flood that occurred in River Yangtze cost $57.525 billion that happened just after the flood disaster that happened in 1954. This wasan enormouseconomic loss among the people of China together with the loss of lives that cannot be given monetary value (Kite 40). In the year 2010, a flood occurred that is commonly referred to as “ChuanJiang” flood was successfully controlled. This was the first case study that was conducted to examine the importance of the dam towards controlling floods. The waters that were stored in the reservoir did not overflow that dam wall. The country was able to save the millions of dollars that could have been used to save drowning people. And to find the lost bodies, and to compensate survivors the lost properties and items (China and Network 7). This compensation was costly to the government and it was affecting the economy of the country at a greater margin. Therefore, the construction is advantageous because it is controlling the natural disaster and at the same time is producing large volumes of power for the country. It makes the dam be multipurpose and benefit the economy of China. Power production The engineers designed the dam to produce 84.7 TWh annually. This amount of power generation was equated to burning a volume of coal of 50 million tons. In the burning of coal, there is much of the greenhousegasses that are beenemitted to the atmosphere. The hydroelectric power is a renewable source of energy, and it is a clean source of energy that is friendly to the environment (Chen 385). Some scientists have argued that the hydroelectric power supply is not the most effective method of reducing the greenhousegasses. This argument was being based on the significant capital investments from the construction to functioning of the power plant. Secondly, the dam produces more power at the spring season yet there is usually a reduced demand for the power as compared to winter and summer seasons (Gleick, Cooley etal. 108). There is a lot of money that China is saving as a result of shifting from coal use. The hydropower from the Three Gorge Dam is enough to supply power to the industries in the country and to trade to the neighboring countries. The trading is beneficial because they state aprofit from selling the power to other countries. Even though, the monsoon climate is posing a challenge of reduce rainfall amount; it gives a potential risk of reduced water supply in the river. Which subsequently will lead to a reduced amount of power (Trouw 48). The continuous sedimentation processes are reducing the capacity of the reservoir to hold volumes of water. Scientists have projects that if the deposition process is not properly managed, then China will suffer more severe floods than it was before the construction of the dam. Research show that there is a significant amount of water decrease in the upper region of the river Yangtze in 1960 which is a potential risk on the ability of the dam to run in the future. In addition, there is a rise in the climatic temperature due to the global warming effects. The temperature has increased by a margin of 0.88 Celsius that makes the glacier capacity to store water to shrink by 0.5- 1% (Hung, McGrath and Smith 123). However, the power supply of 84.7 TWh on yearly basis relieves the electricity demand in eastern and middle China. The Three Gorges Dam can provide power at a distance of 400-1000 kilometers. The richness of power supply in China has helped the country to create trade relationship with other countries and transportation to Shanghai region. Economically, it is beneficial to the country because they have been able to recover the loans that they took during the construction of the dam. Also, the power plant has provided job opportunities for the citizens of China (Chetham 7). Therefore, there is a reduced percentage of people living below the poverty line. Due to the reduced usage of coal for energy production, there has been a significant amount of gasses contributing to greenhouse gasses and atmospheric pollution. The emissions have decreased in: about 400,000 tons of oxynitride, ten million tons of carbon dioxide, 10,000 tons of carbon monoxide, 150,000 tons of dust and two millions tons of sulphur dioxide (China and Network 4). The dam is a sustainable source of energy because water is a renewable source of energy. Not so in fossil fuels, fossil fuels are nonrenewable and can be out of stock. High demand for coal has led to over extraction to meet the high demand for coal. It has caused depletion of fueland abandoning of the mines that have affected the environment negatively. Also, there is a lot of pollution that is associated with extraction of coal, both in ground water and surface pollution. Mining exposes the employees to thehigh concentration of dust particle that causes respiratory respiration and breathing related diseases. Therefore, the hydroelectric power production has helped reduce the impacts of coal mining on the environment. The water energy source is a clean energy source that is environmentally friendly (Curley 29). Navigation benefits The lower side of the Yangtze River is a busy waterway in China because it joins five provinces and connects with Grand Canal which was created in the reign of Sui Dynasty in 581-918 AD. This canal links the Beijing and Hangzhou. The Three Gorges Dam has enabled navigation in the lower and upper region of the Yangtze River. The dam has reduced the speed of water flow in the river water, and it favors the movement of ships and other vessels in the water (Spilsbury 28). Navigation of ships and boats around the middle and upper part of the river is not smooth. It is because of the natural topography of the river that is mountainous. These are some of the physical barriers that are making the movement of vessels on the water surface.They are a source of thedisconnect between the communities that live on the mainland and those that have settled on the coast. One of the goals that were set about the dam construction was to enhance thetransportation system. Water transport by ship is economical because one ship can carry bulky goods and products. A ship usually has a large carrying capacity as compared to trains, road and air transports. Ship transportation has helped reduce road congestion by the trucks and Lorries that carried the products to and from China (Chetham 6). Also, the navigation has reduced the gap that used to exist between the middle and upper regions of the Yangtze River. Researchers have proved that the dam has improved accessibility because since it was built, transportation has increased five times, and the cost of transportation has reduced by 35-37% in the year 2004. Chinese government data collection reports indicate that, in 2009, goods transported by the river was 14.7 tonsthat constituted 87.2% of the total country’s transportation of goods. The water is a means of transportation that is best because it protects the environment from massive pollution that is emitted by exhaust pipes of the vehicles (Gleick, Cooley et al. 139). Also, it is a cheap means of transportation although it is very slow as compared to rail, road and air transport. There are fewer incidences of accidents in water transportation but if it occurs, it causes thedeath of many people because the waters are very deep, and rescuing efforts may not save everyone. However, by 2010, passengers using the waterways for transportation increased to 0.9 million individuals (Curley 32). Due to the decreasing in the amount of precipitation, the water in the reservoir has reduced with a height of 160 meters. Scientists are researching on how this will affect the navigation activities in the river. If the drop continues at this rate, then water volume will highly reduce, and this will affect the depth of the water. Hence, it will limit the types of water vessels to be used in this river. Navigation ability has created job opportunities for many people because manpower is needed to navigate the ships, marine security needs people and to control the movement of the ships is job opportunities. Employment is a strong uplift in the economy of the country, especially the government through paying taxes. Profits that the government gets from navigation activities use it to maintain the structures so that trade flows smoothly (Chen 385).Exchange of goods between China and other countries has expanded since the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. The steadiness of the water level flow is not a guarantee because of the climatic changes caused by the monsoon climate. Sedimentation is also another issue that is threatening the sustainability of navigation in the river in the future. It is a potential barrier to waterways navigation both now and in the future. Therefore, the government should buy equipment and employ people who will be removing the sediments to reduce its accumulation on the bedrock of the reservoir (Kite 30). The removing of the sedimentation should be analyzed under cost-benefit analysis so the affordable method can be applied. Fish farming Ecological research reports show that the Yangtze River has over 300 types of species, and they are fit for human consumption. Fish farmers meet their daily expenses through fishing and selling them to consumers. Most of the people who are living around the river have pinned their livelihood on the fish business (Hung, McGrath and Smith 100). Creation of the reservoirs has increased a breeding zone for the fish, and they have been multiplying since the dam was constructed. Also, the dam has reduced the flood incidences.Hence, the fish farmers can catch fish along the river. China has been exporting large volumes of fish to the neighboring countries and earned profits. The presence of fish in the river has made the country to form industries that process fish and its products. The raw material is easily found at low costs and the processing of the fish to the desired. Opening of fish factories has led to employment opportunities for the Chinese citizens, and it has attracted external investors that contribute positively towards the country’s economy. However, there is a controversial issue surrounding the dam constructions. Ecologists say that he dam has restricted the migration of the fish to and from the upper sides of the river. Fish do not breed where they live; they usually travel upstream or downstream where the currents are small then they lay eggs, and the male fertilizes them. With the dam as a barrier, it has restricted these movements, and thelong-term effect is that the fish species will reduce because their ecosystem has been tampered with by the project (Kite 20). The local fishermen are at risk because if the dam is affecting breeding of the fish species then in future there will be a significant decrease of available fish (Curley 29). It will likewise affect the fish industry because it will be forced to import fish from other countries to keep up the demand for fish products. This will negatively affect the economy because the prices will be high to compensate for the processing costs. Tourism The Three Gorges Dam being the largest dam reservoir in the world has made China famous,and visitors travel from all over to come and see this big dam. There is a city known as the White Emperor City that is usually hidden by a thick forest. With the construction of the dam, there is a place where tourists stand and view the beautiful scenes of the city. There are several scenic ground sports where the visitors can play outdoor games as they enjoy watching the beautiful scenes surrounding the River Yangtze (Kammerer 15). It is an inspiring project for the engineers. The project’s design and engineering was one of the best because of the massive volumes of water that can be stored. Scientists have researched and found out that if the volume of water supported by the dam were moved to another place, the rotation of the earth would slow down (Spilsbury 33). It is one of the amusing factors that have drawn much attention from scientists and researchers. Researchers pay the government to be allowed to carry research on their studies. The popularity of the dam has made the country earn and boost its economy from the foreign exchange and the charges paid by tourists to view the dam structures. It has also provided job opportunities for sailors because the tourists would like to tour around the river and see more beautiful scenes. Environmental complications associated with the Three Gorges Dam Despite the positive impacts, that the dam has; which are the clean energy production has reduced volumes of pollutants that was emanating from the coal refinery industries and reduction of acid rain in the country. Also, the surrounding people can access clean air, and the health of individuals has improved. The greenhouse gasses emissions have reduced with a significant rate (Curley 29). The dam has equally caused environmental degradation in the aquatic system and migration of people. The environmental concerns were brought to the surface through the Environmental Impact Assessment on the Three Gorges Dam by the experts. For a development to be justifiable it should meet the needs of the environment and every development should be established under minimum natural habitat disturbance. These standards have been put up by the policy making bodies that monitor the state of the environmental (Spilsbury 31). With the completion of the dam, it has brought with it many controversial issues surrounding the environment. Throughout its construction, it has displaced millions of people to create space for development. It has cost the government because it had to provide new places for the migrants in China. This is because there has been a lot of submerging of cities, towns, and properties due to the floods that used to occur along the Yangtze River. This dam has caused several environmental damages in the ecosystem of the river and the surrounding area (China and Network 4). Some of the adverse environmental impacts the dam has caused are drought, pollution, ecological damage, earthquakes, migration problems, sediment accumulation, and drought. Ecological damage The construction of the dam has caused a significant drop in water temperature and dissolved oxygen amount in the lower sides of the river. Oxygen is an essential gas that supports life on earth for all living organisms. Oxygen is an element in aerobic respiration process that helps the living cells rejuvenate and give strength to the plant. Likewise, the fauna and flora in the aquatic ecosystem need oxygen for survival. Dissolved oxygen depletion causes the animals to suffer from suffocation and die. Especially those animals and plants live at the lower levels, near the river bed (Kite 25). The dam slows down the movement of water in the lower parts of the river. Hence, there is less mixing of water and air. The animals that live here will be forced to migrate to zones that have sufficient dissolved oxygen, or they die. It has affected species distribution in the water, and most fish will migrate (China and Network 3). The local fishermen around the lower region of the river are getting small quantities of fish or none. It is bringing about food insecurities for the people who depend on the river to provide food. The fish species cannot move freely along the river because of the barrier. Their breeding systems has been disrupted, and it is affecting their population numbers. Earthquakes The dam holds large volumes of water, and this weight has caused a destabilization of the epicenter. The Three Gorges dam caused a major earthquake in 2008, March that caused thedeath of 87,000 people. This was the most traumatic shock that was ever recorded with the existence of the dam (Chen 385). Occasionally in causes tremors and earthquakes that destroy properties and people die in collapsed buildings. Every year there is significant seismic activities that are continuous. There is fear of receiving a traumatic earthquake in China. The rapid water fluctuations are accelerating the seismic activities, and an earthquake is vulnerable. Most of the lives have been continually lost since the construction of the dam; both by earthquakes and flooding. Pollution Pollution from the ships that user the River Yangtze waterways are polluting the water as a result of shipping coal and petroleum products. Occasional the oil tankers have leaked and cause oil pollution. Oil do not dissolve in water; it forms a coat on the surface of water blocking oxygen penetration (Kite 23). This points to the death of aquatic life if the situation is not salvaged as quickly as possible. Also, the inhabitants will not have access to clean water, and there will be water shortages. Sources of water pollutants were; phosphorus, copper, volatile phenol, zinc, oil and non-iron ammonia. These pollutants affected the growth of fish and other aquatic lives in the river. Phosphorus caused eutrophication in the lower parts of the river. Eutrophication reduces the dissolved oxygen content in the water, and most of the marine life extinction has been reported since 1998. Sedimentation is also a source of pollution in the river. High levels of sedimentation distort the water conditions and affect the breeding of the aquatic life. Water that has high rates of total suspended solids has limited usage because it will require purification before usages. The factories cannot use the water for cleaning it, and the purification methods are usually expensive (Trouw 48). Also, the accumulation of sediments raised the river bed and it hinders thefreemovement of the marine vessels. The natural ecosystem is altered, and the animal species in the water begin to reduce due to the high rates of pollution. Migration problems Since the start of the dam construction, millions of people have been forced to migrate to other regions to give space for the project. Most of the towns and villages were emptied, and later floods from the river submerged them. Statistically, the area along the Yangtze River is densely populated because of the fertile plains that people used to practice agriculture. Displacing these people was a cost that the government has to incur so to create space for the project. The humanitarian rights supported the migrants to be compensated so that they can find a new place to settle. This was overwhelming for the government because many funds were needed to compensate these migrants (Chen 387). Displacement has led to theadoption of other lifestyles that are expensive and it has contributed significantly towards increasing the number of Chinese who are living below the poverty line. Overcrowding causes destruction of the natural habitats in search of a land to settle. The area is constant, but its demand is accelerating every year due to the displacement and increased thehuman population (Chetham 10). Increasing pressure on land leads to clearing land for asettlementthat affects the natural habitat. Before the government displaces people, Environmental Impact Assessment should be carried out so that the migrants will be allowed to settle in a good land without disturbing the ecosystem. The displaced farmers are now jobless and marginalized in the areas they have settled in have reduced soil that cannot support agriculture. These make the migrants live in poor conditions, and they are vulnerable to diseases and lack of enough food. They will suffer both psychologically and physically because they are unable to support their livelihood activities in the new land.The displacement causes social stress before one comes with the new environment and change the way of living. Floods The dam was created to protect the Yangtze plains from flooding. But the fact is that the dam has recorded more disastrous floods that have ever existed in China. Most scientists refer the dam as a “notorious dam”. Flood waters finally submerged the cities and villages that were emptied from the dam (Kammerer 45). Floods are environmentally destructive because they accelerate erosion and swipe away the top soils that have nutrients and supports plant growth. Erosion reduces the fertility of the soil, and it brings about food insecurities. Agriculture is the backbone of China, and when the soils are eroded, the total yields will reduce. (Gleick, Cooley et al. 155). Floods destroy plantation cover on the land surface and destroys the planted crops. Itleaves the land bare and vulnerable to soil erosion. This eroded soils will be carried away by the River Yangtze tributaries that cause sedimentation in the river. Floods cause a lot of environmental damages both in the surrounding and in the river. Flood is a disaster that affects the survivors emotionally and psychologically. The medication expenditure is catered for by the Chinese government. When floods occur, the water mixes with fertilizers that the farmers use for crop production. Most of the farmers use the synthetic fertilizers to promote the crop yields. The flood water carries away these chemicals back to the river causing pollution (China and Network 3). The water becomes unfit for human consumption, and the industries incur acost to purify the water before use. The synthetic element in the fertilizer is a contributing factor towards greenhouse gasses. The greenhouse gasses lead to climate change that in turn causes extremes in weather conditions (Gleick, Cooley et al. 340). These water pollution activities endanger most the people who have settled in the lower parts of the river. This region is densely populated because of the favorable climate and fertile soils. Too much agricultural practices have been a source of water pollution and destruction of the water ecosystem. Also, human activities along the river have endangered species and research show that there is a significant amount of loss of aquatic biodiversity along the River Yangtze. Conclusion In conclusion, the dam has benefits and negative impact. Economically, it has boosted the finances in the Chinese government. The project incorporated many stakeholders, and the whole project was worth $37 billion. The economic benefits were the stirring wheel towards the construction. It has helped reduce expenditure on coal that was expensive to mine. In addition coal caused a lot of environmental pollution through emitting greenhouse gasses. Even though the project cost was high, the government has been able to get profits from waterways transportation and tourism sectors. The Environmental Impact Assessment should focus on mitigating the effects of the river rather than exposing the impacts and leaving them unattended. When these environmental issues are addressed early, mitigation measures will be put in place, and the dam will be environmentally friendly. The benefits are many and should be protected. References Chen, Yangbo. GIS and remote sensing in hydrology, water resources, and theenvironment. Wallingford: Internat.Assoc. of Hydrological Sciences, 2004. Chetham, Deidre. Before the deluge: the vanishing world of the Yangtzes Three Gorges. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. China, Human Rights in and International Rivers Network.Major problems found in Three Gorges Dam resettlement program. New York: Human Rights in China, 1998. Curley, Robert. Renewable and alternative energy. New York: Britannica Educational Pub, 2012. Gleick, Peter H, Heather Cooley and et al. The worlds water, 2008-2009: the biennial report on freshwater resources. Washington, DC: Island Press, 2009. Hung, Wu, et al. Displacement: the Three Gorges Dam and Contemporary Chinese Art. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2008. Kammerer, Matthias. The Three Gorges Dam ( DerDreiSchluchten-Damm). Munchen: GRIN Verlag, 2009. Kite, L Patricia.Building the Three Gorges Dam. Chicago, III: Raintree, 2011. Spilsbury, Louise. Dams and hydropower. New York: Rosen Central, 2012. Trouw, Jan. The Three Gorges Dams Impact on Peasant LivelihoodChimas Project on the Yangtze River. Norderstedt: Books on Demand, 2014. Read More