Locals fish in the Yangtze River at Yichang, the first major city downstream from the Three Gorges Dam. The world's largest electricity-generating pla
Locals fish in the Yangtze River at Yichang, the first major city downstream from the Three Gorges Dam. The world's largest electricity-generating plant, the dam spans the length of the Yangtze River after it has passed through the Three Gorges. It was built to serve three purposes: electricity, increase the river's navigation capacity and reduce the potential for floods, which have claimed 350,000 lives in the last 200 years alone. First envisaged by Sun Yat-sen in 1919, the dam only began construction in 1994. It finished filling this year, in 2009. The dam has sparked tremendous controversy, flooding a reported 8000 archaeological and cultural sites, displacing million people (official figures - lobby groups place figures up to 50% more than this), and causing significant ecological changes, including an increased risk of landslides, sediment buildup and erosion. Riddled with corruption, a week after the dam started filling, in 2002, cracks appeared on the dam wall. If broken, the resulting surge of water could wipe out the city of Yichang.
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Photo credit: © Leisa Tyler / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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