China’s Policy on Dams at the Crossroads: Removal or Further Construction?

Chiyuan Miao,Jigen Liu,Alistair Borthwick,Honghu Liu

doi:10.3390/w7052349

Abstract

During the past century, the number and scale of reservoirs worldwide has grown substantially to meet the demand for water and hydropower arising from increased population, industrialization, and urbanization. This is particularly the case in China, where reservoir construction increased rapidly after the Chinese economic reform and the introduction of open-door policies. On average, 4.4 large reservoirs with a capacity greater than 0.1 km3 were constructed per annum during the 1970s–1990s. This average reached 11.8 such reservoirs per annum in the 2000s. Considering the adverse impact of dams on rivers and riparian communities, various environmentalists and non-governmental organizations in China have begun to protest against the construction of dams. Now China’s policy on dams is at a crossroads: Removal or further construction? In this paper, we systematically assess the construction of reservoirs in China and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of large-scale reservoir projects on several major rivers in China: The Yangtze River, the Yellow River and the Mekong River. Lastly, we provide a perspective on the future of reservoir development in China, taking into account natural conditions, renewable hydropower resources, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Highlights

During the past century, the number and scale of reservoirs worldwide has grown substantially to meet the demand for water and hydropower arising from increased population, industrialization and urbanization
Statistics show that reservoir construction in China developed rapidly over the past 30 years
As a consequence of the negative impacts outlined above, some environmentalists and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in China have begun to campaign against China’s dam construction policy, influenced by the ‘anti-dam’ movement in the U.S that began in the 1960s. These campaigners believe that the adverse impact of dams on rivers and riparian communities outweighs the benefits, and propose dam removal as the best way to restore healthy rivers and riverside communities in China

Summary

Introduction

The number and scale of reservoirs worldwide has grown substantially to meet the demand for water and hydropower arising from increased population, industrialization and urbanization. Over 50,000 such dams have been constructed globally, contributing to a total storage capacity of more than 8300 km3 [2]. Statistics show that reservoir construction in China developed rapidly over the past 30 years. An average of 4.4 large reservoirs (of capacity greater than 0.1 km3) were constructed per annum during the 1970s–1990s (Figure 1). By 2011, China possessed 552 large capacity (>0.1 km3) reservoirs, 3269 medium capacity (0.01–0.1 km3) reservoirs, and 84,052 small capacity (0.0001–0.01 km3) reservoirs—with a total storage volume of 692.4 km3 [4]. Almost all the rivers in China are regulated by reservoirs, China still has considerable capacity for further exploitation of its residual water resources. Water Resources Bulletins from 2006 to 2010, on average about 22.34% of the total available water resources in China were being exploited and utilized. There are very significant differences among the river basins: The northern basins have >50% utilization and the Haihe river basin has even reached >90% utilization

Negative Impacts from Reservoir Development

Findings

Discussion and Perspectives