[Return to Iconography List] Three Gorges Dam, Yangtze River, China Scientists and engineers, both Chinese and foreign, have devoted themselves to the planning and design of the Three Gorges Dam Project since 1954. Although the actual construction did not start until December 1994, the first proposal for the project dates back to 1919. The potential capacity of the dam is a monstrous 17 million kilowatts, exceeding that of the world’s current largest dam by 40 percent. Annual power generation will be 84 billion kilowatt-hours, which is equivalent to a coalmine capacity of 40 to 50 million tons per year. The reservoir created by the dam will be 36 miles long and 525 feet deep. Standing 185 meters high and capable of storing 39.3 billion cubic meters of water, the project will be, upon completion, six times larger than Hoover Dam. The most striking aspect of the Three Gorges Dam Project is not its size or economic impact, but the massive effect it will have upon over a million Chinese citizens that once inhabited the region being flooded. For generations, the riverside villages belonged to thousands of families and their ancestors. Soon they will be completely covered with water. Efforts to resettle residents were underway two years before construction began. An estimated 82 percent of the 1.13 million Chinese residents have been resettled, and many are reportedly satisfied with their new lives. Others still haven’t accepted the terms of their resettlement, especially farmers who have lost not only their homes, but their source of income as well. The evacuees living in these rural areas are expected to receive lower compensations, which has resulted in numerous protests. Many face an uncertain future away from the only home that they ever have known. The Three Gorges Dam Project is not only destroying the land they lived on, but their family history as well. Selected Bibliography Ming, Wu. “Resettlement Problems of the Three Gorges Dam.” International Rivers Network/ Human Rights in China, 18 October 1999. Weblink. “Three gorges Dam.” TED Case Studies, Weblink. Three Gorges Dam, Yangtze River, China Pictures in the Gallery