To have a better understanding of the three gorges dam, you may take a look at this reading before starting your discussion.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=chinas-three-gorges-dam-disaster
Remember to think from the point of view of your character. :)
I am a citizen. It is not a good thing becaue I have lost my home, and due to the corrupted government, I did not get any compensation. I was forced to move to another province, to find a new job, and to start a new life. Without enough money, how can I manage to survive?
ReplyDeleteEnvironmentalist - lydia
ReplyDeleteRegarding the environmental effects the three gorges has brought about, i think that although it has massively reduced the amount of air pollution, the government has to consider the harmful impacts it has on the other aspects of the enviroment.
For example, the three gorges dam has triggered several landslides due to the increased pressure surrounding the land. Water first seeps into the loose soil at the base of the area's rocky cliffs, destabilizing the land and making it prone to slides. Then the reservoir water level fluctuates—engineers partially drain the reservoir in summer to accommodate flood waters and raise it again at the end of flood season to generate power—and the abrupt change in water pressure further disturbs the land. Also, In a study published in the Chinese journal Tropical Geography in 2003, it was predicted that such tinkering with the water level could trigger activity in 283 landslide-prone areas.
The dam discharges its reservoir during the dry season between December and March every year This increases the flow rate of the river downstream, and provides downstream cities with fresh water for industrial, drinking and dosmetic usage.
ReplyDeleteCitizen Te Keyu
Ecologist (Shijia)
ReplyDeleteThe building of the dam has caused many species living near or in the Yangtze to lose their habitat. It changed weather patterns, and reproduction patterns have also changed, causing the population of species to decline. Already the rare baiji dolphin in the Yangtze is no longer sighted, and considered functionally extinct. Landslides caused by more water seeping into the vulnerable upper soil surfaces due to the increased water level also kill many wildlife, not to mention human lives.
The building of the dam alters entire ecosystems in the Yangtze, causing many native species to be extinct. One example is the increment of jellyfish in the lower course of the Yangtze. The reservoir reduces the amount of water in the lower course, causing seawater from the South China Sea to move further up, introducing foreign oceanic species further up to the Yangtze. These jellyfish, for example, prey on the eggs of the native fish species and smaller fish lower down in the food chain, causing the whole ecosystem to be unbalanced.
In view of all the detrimental environment effects brought upon the ecosystems in the Yangtze, I believe that the negative effects of the dam outweighs the positive effects.
Citizen Shannon
ReplyDeleteAs a citizen of China affected by the impacts of the Three Gorges dam project, I feel that the project has both positive and negative impacts. However, what remains uncertain is whether the negative impacts outweigh the positive impacts. If negative impacts are indeed higher than positive impacts, than I feel that the Three Gorges dam project is not going to work out in the long run.
Indeed, the Three Gorges dam project has benefitted citizens with lesser flooding incidents and providing citizens with cleaner water for consumption. Having cleaner water also helps in improving the lives of citizens as we are less prone to contracting health problems due to polluted water.
However, the Three Gorges dam project has also made citizens upset as it has forced citizens from their homes. Citizens have to resettle due to the project. Even though the government has promised to compensate the citizens for their losses, it remains a highly ambiguous issue as the government has not lived up to their promise. This has caused citizens to be upset as they have lost their property. In this sense, I think that the government has also denied us our human rights as we do not dare to protest.
Dams can store rain water or water directly from the river itself. Then, in case of a Drought,the dam will still have a relatively constant supply of water. It controls flooding, however, the hydroelectric power production also requires flooding of entire valleys and scenic areas. Therefore,the citizens are forced to live in a new place which we are not familiar with. It would be difficult and takes time for citizens to adapt to the new environment.
ReplyDelete