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Why
to build Three Gorges Dam
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In 1992, the NPC (National People's congress) approved the construction
of the Three gorges project: 664 abstentions, 25 votes absent, 177
votes against and 1.767 votes for (the two thirds of the total). Then
the widespread and profound 40-year discussion of whether to start
the project or not had finally come up with a conclusion. It brought
the whole world to more attention in no time: from the proposal by
SunZhangshan to the attention by MaoZeDong, from the investigation
in 40's by J. L savage, the noted American expert on dam-building
to the demonstration in 90's in china. The discussion about it is
really rare in world in the long time, large scale and deep degree.
What's the real point of the Three Gorges project? First comes the
flood control. The Yangtze River is the most dangerous river in the
world. Its tremendous drop and discharge hold abundant water resources
in store. However, it is also like a uncontrollable runaway horse,
and is in flood almost each year, which makes it the badly stricken
area, especially around the middle and lower reaches. According to
the historical record, for 2.000 years between Han Dynasty and the
end of Qing Dynasty, the Yangtze River had flooded 214 times. Since
the last century, there have been three catastrophic foods. Among
them two floods in 1931 and 1935 inundated respectively the land in
50,900,000 Mu and in 22,640,000 Mu, and brought 145000 and 142000
people to death. In 1954, despite of the safeguard of Jing River Dam
and WuHan urban district, the area of inundated land still came to
47,550,000 Mu, the stricken population came to 18,880,000 including
30,000 dead people, and the railway service between Beijing and Gangzhou
had been interrupted for l00 days. The direct amount of loss got to
10,000,000,000 Yuan and the indirect one was hard to estimate. For
40 years the Chinese government has devoted substantial manpower and
material resources to the construction of flood controlling, such
as reinforcing the embankment of Yangtze River, setting up the flood
diversion and storage area, building the reservoirs beside the tributary,
transforming the river course and so on. Nevertheless the situation
is still very severe. The ability of discharging of river course only
can provide the safety against the flood that may break out once 10
to 20 years. Once beyond the limit, the huge loss of personal lives
and property will strike the area at any time with very severe effects.
At present, the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River have been
the fast-developing economic area. Outbreak of catastrophic flood
and the great huge losses it brings out will put the process of national
economic construction in a mess .The catastrophic floods are the hidden
trouble both to the government and to the public, and should be prevented
basically as soon as possible.
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