The proposed Three Gorges dam in
China might just run into rough
weather. The US Export-Import
Bank is yet to take a decision on
whether to lend the money
required for the Chinese dam. The
Three Gorges is supposedly the
largest public undertaking in the
world ever since the Great Wall of
China was built.
Recent reports say that the
White House has signalled a 'no' to
the dole, citing a plethora of reasons -environmental, human
rights related and economic reasons being some adequate ones.
But China wants to put an end
to the periodic flooding by the
Yangtze Kiang river which regularly
wreaks havoc downstream the proposed damsite; besides, the government wants to power its economy
by going for a cleaner power option
-hydroelectricity. The dam is
supposed to take 20 years and
us $17 billion to build by spurring
relocation of 1.3 million people. A
643.60-km long reservoir will also
be created by the dam. All this is
supposed to 'remake' the environment of central China.
The American assessment is
that the Three Gorges dam would
-apart from generic risks like
deforestation, loss of arable land,
upstream siltation and loss of the
much-needed downstream siltation
-pose seismic hazards, threaten
endangered species like the
Yangtze dolphin and the giant
panda, and inundate many archaeological sites.
The World Bank and many multilateral aid agencies have shunned
the project and other export banks
might also follow the example. The
us government would have displayed more confidence in the project had China held a proper debate
on the dam's pros and cons.
Incidentally, the main opponent of
the project, journalist Dai Qing. was
thrown in jail by the government to
make sure that the people's voice is
muffled well. In this context, the us
does not seem to have much faith
in the project's goods.
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