The Sanxia (Three Gorges) Project: The Environmental Argument Surrounding China's Super Dam

Abstract

The Sanxia, or Three Gorges Dam, was formally approved by the National People's Congress in April 1992. As the world's largest dam, the project has attracted a considerable amount of attention. This article looks at the background to the project and the arguments surrounding construction and financing. Approval of the Sainxia' project was expedited by the Tiananm6n Incident of June 1989 and the massive flooding on the Chang (Yangtze) River during the summer of 1991. Advocates of the dam admit that there are still some technical uncertainties. Given the fact it is highly unlikely that the dam will serve its purported functions of flood control, energy genera- tion, navigation improvement, and increased water supply, the Chinese would be wise to avoid the irre- parable ecological damage and the economic risk from such another grandiose project. Instead of a large dam, smaller scale projects and basic conserva- tion measures are likely to have more positive envi- ronmental, economic, and political consequences.