Three Gorges Dam Scrutinized for Structural Flaws as China is Ravaged by Flooding

The controversial Three Gorges Dam in China, the biggest project for hydroelectric power not only in the country but also in the whole world, has been scrutinized for issues on environmental damage and structural flaws from the very first time it was proposed for construction around the 1950s.

Currently, with torrential rainstorms ravaging half the country, an expert in hydrology is warning of a collapse due to increased water pressure, which will endanger the millions of people living in nearby areas.

Since early June of this year, widespread heavy rainfall and flooding have devastated 11.2 million citizens living in 26 municipalities and provinces in southern and central China. Over 9,300 homes have been destroyed, and 171,000 more have been damaged. According to the local authorities, the financial toll has already reached beyond 3.4 billion dollars or 24.1 billion yuan.

This devastating rainfall is expected to rage for ten more days. The mountainous province of Guizhou in southwest China already experienced a 16-foot higher rain or stormwater beyond the acceptable threshold. Meanwhile, in Yanhe County, severe flooding has already caused cascading waters. To flow over a bridge, washing away the houses beneath it.

READ: Heavy Rains, Earthquake Strike China, Residents Fear Landslides and Dam Spillage   

Southwestern Qijiang County, Chongquing City resident Mr. Liu calls it a hotpot, except in water. He said that the flooding is a warning call to the rest of the country. He predicted that if the Dam is already unable to withstand flooding waters now, then Yangtze River's lower reaches, which consist of one of China's most populous and fertile regions, will be in grave danger.

The dam was intended to tame the  Yangtze River because it is prone to floods. It was also designed to generate clean energy. The Three Gorges Dam project has a budget of 25.4 billion dollars or 180 billion yuan and has been troubled by environmental and corruption costs. The fact that authorities forced the relocation of more than a million residents worsened public perception against it.

Hydrologist Wang Weiluo said that a lot of regions are below the dam's reservoir, which places them directly under the currents of the water during flooding. The Yangtze River reaches 11 regions and provinces in western and central China, which include Sichuan, Shanghai, Tibet, Hubei, and Chongqing.

Sichuan Bureau of Geological Exploration and Exploitation of Mineral Resources senior engineer Fan Xiao wrote extensively about the dam's issues. In 2004, he tackled the subject of the landslides and earthquakes caused by the reservoir. In 2016, his article cast doubt on the net capacity of the dam to mitigate floods after the dam's construction and operation destroyed local habitats.

The people of the upper reaches of the river also has a fundamental conflict with those living in the lower regions, because when heavy rain occurs, the upper residents want the water from the dam discharged. In contrast, the lower residents have trouble with additional flooding.

The dam's structural integrity is also in danger of breaking. Wang urges those living nearby to have emergency kits ready for protection. Sichuan Province resident Mr. Chen is worried that a catastrophe will befall the country under the current mismanagement of the regime. He said the government considers the dam a show project, and its disastrous consequences will have commoners footing the bill.

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