The Three Gorges Dam Critique - Essay Example

The Three Gorges Dam and Its Ignored Social Problems Introduction China is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The country has been undergoing massive transformation for decades, which has enabled her to develop to become a super power of Asia and has the second biggest economy in the world after the US. The key driving factor of China’s economy is technological advancement heavily favored by the low cost of production because of the available and reliable labor of more than a billion people (CNBS 67). For any country’s economy to grow in such a high rate as China’s, then energy supply has to be sufficient, reliable, and inexhaustible. To address this issue of energy production, the Chinese government with the help of international experts and donors has constructed the Three Gorges Dam. This project on the Yangtze River spans many years back and completed in 2006, though some areas are yet to be conclusively finished. The dam has become a source of renewable source of energy for the country but has resulted in one of the largest forced human migration in history, something ignored by the government (Barber & Grainne 3). Three Gorges Dam And Its Consequence Population Displacement The dam cost over thirty billion dollars to construct, and is the biggest hydro-generating power plant in the world, producing over eighteen thousand megawatts of electricity. The project has occupied a vast area. The dam has been very important, as it has enabled the country to produce the much-needed energy for economic advancement benefiting even the interiors of the country. The river on which it is built has also become more navigable enabling more shipping activities to be carried out and thus boosting economic development. The dam massive electricity production has drastically reduced coal consumption in the country and consequently reduced green house gases emission. Reduction of coal consumption has been hailed as economically and environmental friendly (Yuefang & Shawn 26). However, the dam has far-reaching negative humanitarian crisis than thought. The environmental conditions of the area have been greatly altered. The weather pattern change with floods rocking the country in 2009 has been attributed to the project. The sediment buildup around and in the dam would greatly hamper the flood control capacity of the area with effects of sediments already being felt sooner than expected. The animal life of various species has been negatively affected with animals such as the white Flag becoming endangered. Perhaps the most affected are the forced migrants. The effects of forced migration had not, been keenly analyzed with the government arguing the project would benefit the whole country. This project’s biggest undoing is the fact that forced migration was conducted without long-term consideration of the effects and consequences of this forced migration. This forced migration has resulted in international condemnation with many non-governmental organizations calling for its closure even before it was finished, something the government ignored. China is the most populous country in the world and it was imminent that such a massive project taking up large chunks of land was bound to cause social destruction. More than a million people have been forcefully evacuated, with more than four million on their way to be also forcefully forced to move by 2020. The government forceful migration had not been well planned, done in a haphazard way and without much consideration. People forced to move means their human rights to freedom has already been violated. The Chinese government has for decades been accused of human rights violation something the communist government has always refuted. These people have lived there for ages and moving them psychologically and mentally disorients them, as they have to leave their treasured ancestral land to live in undesired areas. The government though had always overlooked the effects of the project, has now admitted that the project is a disaster in the making. This project could trigger an earthquake whose effects would be devastating. The ecological effects of the dam have been widely scrutinized resulting to internationally condemnation of the project. In the US, a similar project had been abandoned due to the ecological costs involved. The world is faced with many environmental challenges that are artificially induced. Erosion caused by the projects could cause landslides, the cleared natural vegetation to create room for the project results to environmental degradation and endangerment of indigenous animals and plants. The Challenge Facing the Forced Migrants Unlike voluntary premeditated migration, which has the individual’s free will, passion, and strong desire, forced migration psychologically torments an individual who is less motivated to shift. The willing migration has an individual prepare for a long time; according sufficient time to plan and prepare the mind to face new challenges, whereas forced migration is conducted in haste following no standardized pattern with individuals denied the chance to know where their new homes will be until the last days when they are notified by the resettlement authorities. Impoverishment of persons has to be one of the most detrimental effects that result from forced resettlement. The dam project has been touted to bring economic gains to the whole region but the driving force for building the dam has been because of politics and ideological inclination that has totally ignored humanitarian needs and observation of human rights. The project is so huge that it can be viewed from space, but the government and other stakeholders have ignored the resettlement project that affects millions of people altering their socio-economic lives forever. The media in the modern world has become the voice of the people especially the oppressed; however, the Chinese media has only focused on the benefits of the project and ignored any aspect that is perceived to be negative. This is attributed to the overwhelming influence the government has over the media thus the media fraternity seems to fear to get on the wrong side of the government. With the country’s media turning away from covering the plight of the migrants, the migrants have nowhere else to air their grievances. However globalization has enabled there no be a universal concern especially on issues affecting human beings and thus the international community has been on the forefront in condemning the neglecting of the forced migrant. One of the issues of contention that has become a challenge to the migrants is land. Land in the world is the most coveted and cherished commodity a peasant could have. It is no different in rural China. The country has a long tradition of engaging in tasking physical jobs, of which working in the farms is one of them thus the densely population around the dam were heavily relying on their farms. The biggest problem has arisen during compensation where questions are asked whether the land being compensated is high fertile like the one around the project and whether the value is matching. The project has already displaced people and those still on the surrounding areas must be evacuated quickly to pave way for the creation of reservoirs to control the projected floods. However, the resettlement project has been very slow putting the lives of people at danger of being flooded. In whichever part of the world, river valleys are ideal for farming activities, having advantage in that they have the appropriate topography, adequate and reliable water supply for cultivation all year round with fertile soils. Huge rivers like, the Yangtze around which the dam has been constructed offer transportation facilities for the farm produces thus are cost saving. Fishing is also an alternative source of income around the river supporting many families and acting as a source of body building foods. The forced migrants have vehemently opposed relocation to other areas some claiming they cannot sleep without the sound of the river and the sounds made by the creatures around the river. Psychological stress is thus common in the migrants (TGPDC 13). Forced resettlement does not guarantee the migrants the same quality land with the same sufficient water supply. Naturally, all fertile or productive areas have been occupied by human settlements and thus it is almost obvious that the new areas of resettlement are low in production quality of agricultural produces and thus the forced migrants will be socio-economically affected. Change in economic status adversely affects the setting of the society. The people of the affected society are forced to change their lifelong careers like fishing in an effort to adapting to the new areas. Women and men are also forced o change roles s they have to combine effort in executing the tasks before them. The age long tradition of specialization and division of labor has been re-organized and destabilized by the project. The society has been hard hit by cultural confusion as the forced migrants are being resettled in other different and diverse places. The people of these new areas have their own traditions, which the forced migrants must adapt to, this has created kind of culture shock (Tan 43). Since the time of Mao Zedong, the peasants have experienced many land reforms. Chinese follow mainly the socialist form of society. This means the unity of the people is very important with the formation of cooperatives and social groups being emphasized. In recent times people have been urged to work very hard and then invest in their land of which the government retains the formal ownership. People have thus been very industrious investing all their lifelong savings on their treasured pieces of land. Losing land to a reservoir is thus very offensive to them. They look at their efforts and cannot fail to lament how their toiling and moiling has been let down the drain without offering them an option. Since the resettlement is random and in different parts. The organizations the people had formed are crushed with many people losing their savings or posts. The morale and the psyche of the millions of forced immigrants, is negatively affected with many even finding no meaning in life. Influential people in the society lose their posts with the order of the particular society being destabilized. The forced migrants are thus faced with psychological problems, trauma, stress, depression cultural confusion with many losing identity of their particular society. Some of the areas are historical and strongly attached to the people. No amount of compensation can replace the areas. Shrines and temples have been destroyed by the project of which destruction of traditional sites and materials is an abomination in many societies leave alone the Chinese. Human beings are social beings, they exist in a society with certain rules and regulations even those with a central government have societal values. Destruction of traditional sites is one way of erasing the traditions of a society. (RBZ: 11) People’s behaviors are shaped by the society they live in, with mutual co-existence being cultivated. Forcing people to move from their ancestral land or from where they have lived for a long time is like robbing their culture. The normal functioning of the society that was initially occupying the areas around the river has been altered. Consequently their level of productivity is affected which impacts on the economy (Hwang 43). The traditions of the people are also being countered. For a long time, the people of the region have always known the benefits of living along the river valley. Instead of being relocated to other unfamiliar areas, some have opted to move uphill. Elevated land is less suitable for farm activities with temperatures lower than in the valleys thus crops taking longer to mature. Water is also hard to get in higher areas and settlement in higher areas causes environmental degradation. The shifting and settlement in higher areas has great adverse socioeconomic effects. Most of the infrastructures had been located along the river valleys and thus the new settlements will have to contend without elaborate infrastructures. Initiating a successful human settlement requires many resources of which unfortunately these peasants do not have. It takes generations for a people of a settlement to fully adapt and adjust to the various climatic conditions. The forced migrants are thus being returned many generations backwards. Social amenities are also not readily available. The peasants become even poorer than they were with allsorts of societal malpractices like theft increasing. Those settled away from their original homelands have to contend with their new environments. Naturally, people are hostile to migrants who are viewed as competitors for the already depleted resources. The migrants are thus finding it difficult to adapt in other areas (RBYC 15). The Marginalization of the Migrants The Three Gorge Dam was constructed with good intentions of looking for ways of supplying sufficient energy to the Chinese economy. However, the resultant scenario is far from convincing of the intentions. The forced migrants, whose land was taken to create room for the project, remain relatively marginalized. They have been secluded from major economic development and social benefits that every other citizen should enjoy, in fact theirs is a special case as they have been forcefully moved and their most valued treasure confiscated. The government continues to ignore them pretending everything was all right. The government was responsible for initiating the hydroelectric project and therefore does not want to be discredited in any way (Chen & Xu 18). The media has ignored the migrants by refusing to highlight their problems which most have emanated from the forced evacuation. The media has been biased only covering the positive side of the project ignoring the most important which is the plight of the people. The migrants are being relocated to already overpopulated areas like Chongqing. It has been alleged that huge sums of money for relocating over ten thousand farmers were lost after being disbursed. This has left the farmers without compensation making their already miserable lives worse (Juan 323). Initially some of the migrants relocated to Yichang were happy with their new homes and even pointed out to better health facilities, many had realized their dreams of living in urban areas. However, there emerged unemployment crisis in the country (Porter 4). In the Chongqing municipality, alone many people exceeding more than two millions lost their jobs in the state-run enterprises. Many employers had endorsed and absorbed migrants to their industries and businesses but they abruptly selectively fired them owing their businesses’ dismal performance to the migrants. The migrants had also been settled in a way that made them desperate for jobs such that their high level of unemployment would be a point of weaknesses as employers could exploit them so easily. The crisis that hit the country was unprecedented but what made it so discriminatory is the fact that it was only the migrants who lost their jobs in large numbers where the workers were mixed (Kammerer 33). The poor planning strategies by the local authorities did not take the crucial consideration of the national economy and the market fluctuations. This resulted in the collapse or incapacitation of many businesses that had been projected would accommodate the migrants. Many businesses that offered the migrants jobs, was not because they had any interest of helping the migrants, rather it was the quest to earn the resettlement funds from the government. The forced migrants have thus remained highly unemployed compared to the rest of the population yet the government has since ignored them (Chen 45). Those migrants who remained in rural areas and moved to higher areas are even worse. The relocation project destroyed the community hospitals, various road networks, telecommunication lines, sewerage system water lines, playgrounds, schools and other social amenities. It was generally believed that since it was not the will of the migrants to move, then the governments would fully compensate them and then build new facilities and other social amenities that were even better (Jackson & Sleigh 12). The government has not done so as the conditions and standard of living of the migrants is even worse. The roads in the new areas are dilapidated compared to other areas with hospitals and schools having poor facilities and personnel to cater for the various needs of this special group. The telecommunication lines have not been fully installed with many areas still having problems with getting resourceful information. The security of the migrants is not well organized, many remaining vulnerable, there is not enough government forces to make sure the security is beefed up. Displaced persons need a lot of government support for them not only to settle down but for them to also, lead successfully normal lives geared towards progress. The government abandoned these people once they were compensated while many are yet to be compensated fully (Andrews & Xin 247). Conclusion The Three Gorges Dam project has resulted in humanitarian crisis in China. Forced migration goes against human rights. The Chinese government and other stakeholders including the media have ignored the plight of the forced migrants and only concentrated on the positive side of the project. The migrants are faced with high unemployment rates, cultural disorientation and loss of identity. Social amenities for this group have not been in line with other parts of the larger community (Jackson & Sleigh 7). Works Cited Andrews-Speed, Philip, Xin Mang. Energy Production and Social Marginalisation in China. Journal of Contemporary China vol 17 1ssue 55 pages 247-272, 2008 Barber, Margaret,. Ryder Grainne. Damming the Three Gorges: what dam builders dont want you to know: a critique of the Three Gorges water control project feasibility study. New York: Earthscan 1993. Chen D.Y. (ed). Sanxia yimin gongchen gailun, (Outline of the resettlement engineering of the Three Gorges project), in Chinese. Chengdu : Chengdu University of Sciences and Technology Press, 1994. Chen G.J., Xu Q. and Du R.Y. Sanxia gongcheng dui shengtai yu huanjing de yingxiang ji duice yanjiu, in Chinese, (A study that looks at how the Three Gorges project has impacted the environment. Beijing: Science Press. CNSB (Chinese National Statistics Bureau). Zhongguo laodong tongji nianjian, (China Labour Statistics), in Chinese. Beijing: National Statistics Press, 1997. Hwang, Sean-Shong et al. Anticipation of migration and psychological stress and the Three Gorges Dam project, China. Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 2007 Jackson, Sukhan,. Sleigh, Andrian. Resettlement for China’s Three Gorges Dam: Socio-economic impact and institutional tensions Juan Xi, et al. Sociological Perspectives, Vol. 50, No. 2, pp. 323-337. 2007 Kammerer, Matthias. The Three Gorges Dam. Northampton: University pf Northampton. 2005. Porter, Glen. ‘‘The Three Gorges’’ 1996 RBYC (Relocation Bureau of Yunyang County), Yunyangxian fangwu buchang biaozhun, in Chinese, (Compensation standards for house-building of Yunyang County); unpublished official document, 1997 RBZ (Relocation Bureau of Zhijiang County), 1997, Woshi yimin gongzhuo zhongde chengji he xiayibu anpai, in Chinese, (Achievements and plan of population resettlement of the TGP in Zhijiang); an unpublished official document. Tan Yan. Resettlement in the Three Gorges Project. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2008 TGPDC (Three Gorges Development Corporation), Sanxia Gongcheng chouzi wenti in Chinese, (Funding issues on the Three Gorges Project), meeting document on the conference about funding the Three Gorges project; Yichang, 1998. Yuefang Dua,.Steil Shawn. China Three Gorges Project Resettlement: policy, planning and Implementation. Journal of refugees study vol 16 no 4, 2003. Read More