Mini Documentary About the "Three Gorges Dam"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwFGyzllCJg

Background

In the early to mid 1900s, China built a dam to help increase the use of hydroelectric power. This started to cause problems because it put a halt to transporting goods through the river. Even though it had blocked transportation, with the dam there, they were able to treat about 7,664.5 tonnes of solid waste every day. With this, the water was cleaner and more efficient. The people who were affected were mainly just the civilians in the area of the dam that couldn't get any goods transported to them from one side of the river.

Location

The current Issue is happening on the Yangztee river located in China, The Yangtzee is third longest river in the World. The Yangztee flows through China hitting all the major citites in it's path.

Development

The actual idea for the Three Gorges Dam started in 1919, but the Chinese civil war in 1947 halted the Progress. Eleven years later the building began again and people started to protest about the Dam, protesters got and Imprisoned. But the dam was finally Approved in 1992 by the National Peoples Congress or the NPA. The Three Gorges Dam will be fully functional in 2011.

Impact

A few of the more serious impacts on this topic are the effects on the people, environment, and economics. Some effects on the people was that the population of the area would start to decrease to due a lot of people moving away from the problem. The effect on the environment was a positive one at most. With the dam in place, they could treat more solid waste then they ever could before. Effects on economics were high however. With the dam in place, although it cleans the water, it blocks transportation which means no one will be able to trade goods on either side of the river. Due to this, almost everyone will be effected.

This Topics Three Main Concerns:
1. Effects on the People
2. Effects on the Environment
3. Effects on the Economy

Future

When It is Finished it will have displaced 1.2 million people, 13 major cities, 140 towns and 1,350 villages. There have also been reports of human rights violations and resettlement difficulties, Not only that the project has been increasing corruption in China's government. The environmental impacts of the project will be drastic and is most likely to get worse. The Dam will eventually end up submerging hundreds of mines, factories and toxic waste dumps. This will Create a huge festering bog of silt, effluent, industrial waste, and garbage. Presently Erosion of the reservoir and other riverbanks have caused many landslides threatening China's fishing industry. The Three Gorges Dam is thought to be another wonder of the world, but if it's doing this much damage you have to think is it really a wonder?

<Picture Above is a Sample of the Water near the Three Gorges Dam>

Big Picture

This issue really explains the importance of small or big decisions between people and governments. Our topic is also a great example of a push-pull factor. The pull part of the factor is the water. People are pleased with the fresh, clean water that is brought to them. However, due to the problems it causes with transportation purposes(push factor), people decide to leave the area to where they can possibly get both clean water and goods transported to them.
Our topic is a good example to use in meetings on whether or not the government or corporation should agree with what the people have to say, or with what they believe is the right thing to do.