Although the dam produces a huge amount of energy for China it has created many problems. The initial main purpose of dams was to control flooding until hydroelectric technology was invented. China has a lot of hydroelectric potential that should be harnessed reasonably. In the case of the TGD (Three Gorges Dam) China is trying to harness too much waterpower by building a mega dam. The TGD produces 18,000 megawatts of electricity, which amounts to 11% of China’s electricity.
The Three Gorges Dam is a model for disaster, yet Chinese companies are replicating the model. Huge hydropower cascades have been proposed and are being constructed in some of China’s most pristine and culturally diverse river basins. Around the world, large dams are causing social and environmental devastation while better alternatives are being ignored. It is the world’s biggest hydro project and the problems that come along with it are not unA third of China’s 1.3 billion people live in and around the Yangtze River basin. For centuries,
The beauty of the region has inspired Chinese poets and artists for centuries including much of the work of Li Bai (701–762 AD), considered by many Chinese to be the world’s greatest poet (Fearnside 1988). The idea of building a gigantic dam on the Yangtze River in the Three Gorges area was proposed more than 80 years ago by Sun Yat-sen. After severe flooding along the river in the 1950s, Chairman Mao Tse Tung vowed to speed up construction of a massive dam but nothing significant happened for several more decades. In 1986, the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power asked the Canadian government to finance a feasibility study to be conducted by a consortium of Canadian firms. The consortium, known as CIPM Yangtze Joint Venture, included three private companies (Acres International, SNC, and Lavelin International), and two state-owned utilities (Hydro-Quebec International and British Columbia Hydro International). The World Bank was asked to supervise the feasibility study to ensure that it would “form the basis for securing assistance from international financial institutions” (Adams 1997).
| A lower water volume - more saltwater from the sea filters into the Yangtze’s estuary. That will impose higher costs on factories to treat and use salt water. | There are already almost 1,000 dams on the Han. With China’s goal of tripling hydropower generation, says Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, many Chinese rivers simply won’t be flowing in 10 years. | Polluted water in the Yangtze—which officials have called “cancerous”—may also be transferred northward, bringing with it diseases like schistosomiasis (bilharzia), which can damage internal organs and harm children’s brain development.
In 1979, when the One Child Policy was introduced, the purpose was for the Chinese population to decrease. With the policy in place, it has stopped 400 million births happening. This is a huge amount for only 35 years of being in place, so isn’t China happy with the results it has obtained? China, still believes that it needs to carry on the policy even though it has prevented so many births already; however if the policy is to be continued, it is essential for the Chinese government to work on the issue of gender equality. Due to the policy, China has too many men and not enough women, there are 120 men to every 100 girls.
If a family ignores the policy, and has more than one child, they will have to pay a large fine; can lose their job, and any bonuses at work. The policy has a few exceptions, for example people with no siblings are allowed more than one child, along with rural families, ethnic minorities, and foreigners living in china. In rural areas, families can apply for a second child if their first child is a girl, disabled or has a mental illness. The policy caused a drop in fertility rate, from 3 children per woman in 1980, to 1.54 children per woman in 2011. Chinese authorities consider the policy, a great success, as it was estimated that China had three to four hundred million less people in 2008 than it would have done, had the policy not been introduced.
However, they will build up as time goes on. It hardly ever becomes to be a heavy downpour, but the rains simply don't ever stop completely so massive flooding occurs. Just like in the Yellow River floods hundreds may perish which makes it seem to be a catastrophe. Yet, without these rains, part of China's economy would collapse. Last, the economic growth of China has been so vast that it has led to China being the second
Article 25 says that “The state promotes family planning so that population growth may fit the plans for economic and social development”, and Article 49 states that “Both husband and wife have the duty to practice family planning”. In fact, the constitution cannot enforce jurisdiction directly in China, so the government has published many treaties, rules and ordinances to execute this policy, and finally in 2001, there was a law for family planning. However, as there is a serious decline of newborns and the population growth was slow down, China has lost benefits because of the large population. This means that the labor cost is gradually becoming higher, and the productivity of the whole country is a slowing down. Also, the aging society has become a big problem in China, which is only a developing country.
China has one f the highest pollution rates. This pollution from factories is put into the water, thus contaminating it. Once the water is contaminated, it can no longer be used. If there is less use-able water available it causes droughts and water shortages. This is a human factor which can easily be stopped.
The Aswan Dam In 1960 the Aswan Dam began construction; it was an impressive display of what can be accomplished when nations work together. The Dam was a huge undertaking, costing millions of dollars, close to 16,000 million dollars (U.S.). The man behind the idea for the Dam was Gamal Abdul Nasser, leader of Egypt. He began the project because he wanted to control the flooding of the Nile River, and provide more water for irrigation. This would, in turn, provide more land for farmers and help to eradicate their poverty issues.