World’s Water Dreams
Posted by feww on July 13, 2011
World Water Headlines – July 13, 2011
China forsaking farmers to feed ferocious energy demands
China says it is raising power production capacity to 1,440 gigawatts (GW) in four years, a rise of 490 GW.
The authorities are planning output at least 140GW of the added capacity from hydro power—equivalent of energy produced by seven Three Gorges dams, or the entire electricity production of France.
However, large-scale hydropower projects, as was the case with the construction of Three Gorges Dam, which impounded the Yangtzee River, will submerge vast areas of farming land under water forcing millions of people to relocate.
About 1.5 million people were relocated and at least 1,000 towns and villages were flooded to fill the reservoir area.
Three Gorges Dam in Yichang, Hubei Province central China, July 19, 2010. The Dam Could Collapse
The water influx into the Three Gorges Reservoir reached 58,000 steres [cubic meters, m³] per second on Monday morning, setting a new record in this year’s flood season. Engineers will raise the rate of water outflux to 40,000 steres per second from 10 a.m. on Monday to face the biggest flood peak since the dam was established. (Xinhua/Zheng Jiayu). Image may be subject to copyright. More photos …
Water Shortages Caused by Hydropower Dams
Prolonged drought in the Mekong Basin threatened the livelihood of at least 60 million people last year. The water flows were the lowest for 20 years, said the Mekong River Commission (MRC). Adding that “water supply, navigation and irrigation are at threat.”
Many people in Southeast Asia blamed the unusually low water levels on Chinese dams.
NOTES:
1. Three Gorges dam has an installed capacity of 18.2GW
2. China’s hydropower capacity at the end 2010 was 213.4GW
3. Coal-powered plants will produce about 77 percent of the remaining 350GW of China’s planned capacity boost.
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