To mark
the international day of action for rivers
on Wednesday, we take a look at some of the world's most contentious dam
projects, from the Three Gorges in China
to Brazil's
Belo Monte dam
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China’s Three Gorges dam
Since the start of construction in 1992, about 16m tonnes of concrete
have been poured into the giant barrier across the Yangtze river,
creating a reservoir that stretches almost the length of Britain and
drives 26 giant turbines. The world’s biggest hydropower plant has a
total generating capacity of 18,200 megawatts and the ability to help
tame the floods that threaten the Yangtze delta each summer. But it has
proved expensive and controversial due to the rehousing of 1.4 million
people and the flooding of more than 1,000 towns and villages. The
government last year acknowledged the dam had pressing geological, human
and ecological problems and mentioned, for the first time, its negative
impact on downstream river transport and water supplies |
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Brazil’s Itaipu dam
The Itaipu dam between Brazil and Paraguay on the Paraná river is the
second largest dam in the world after the Three Gorges dam. It provides
80% of Paraguay’s electricity, making it the largest exporter of
electricity in the world (over 25% of Brazil’s electricity comes from
here). Despite providing clean energy and bolstering both Brazil and
Paraguay’s economies, construction of the dam has completely flooded
Sete Quedas, a series of waterfalls that once rivalled Iguacu Falls. The
dam has also displaced over 40,000 families and destroyed more than
700sq km of rainforest |
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DRC Grand Inga dam
The G8 and some African governments hope that the $80bn Grand Inga dam
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will generate twice as much
electricity as the world’s current largest dam, the Three Gorges in
China, and jump-start industrial development on the continent. But while
governments and banks expect the dam to export electricity as far away
as South Africa, Nigeria and Egypt, and even Europe and Israel,
environment groups and local people fear it could bypass the most needy
and end up as Africa’s most ruinous white elephant |
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India’s Sardar Sarovar dam
On the Narmada river, the Sardar Sarovar dam in the state of Gujarat was
the most controversial in the Narmada Valley Development Project, which
included three sizes of dam: 30 large, 135 medium, and 3,000 small.
Designed to supply irrigation and drinking water, costs included the
forced displacement of tens of thousands of people and widespread
environmental damage. The World Bank initially funded the project, but
withdrew in 1994 amid protests, including hunger strikes. The Indian
government continued the dam project with its own funds |
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Turkey’s Ilisu dam
Known in Turkey as Gap, the project has sparked international
controversy since its proposal in 1954. The hydroelectric dam will
impound the waters of the Tigris, harnessing the water for energy and
irrigation through a huge reservoir. With a 1,200 megawatt hydroelectric
power plant, the dam will supply an annual power production of 3,833
gigawatts an hour – about 2% of the country’s total usage. Officials say
power generated by Ilisu dam will serve the southeastern region where
electricity is in short supply. However, critics fear most energy will
be directed to western Turkey, where a continually expanding Istanbul
monopolises the county’s electricity needs. Construction began in 2006
and threatens the ancient town of Hasankeyf |
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Egypt’s Aswan dam
The dam irrigates hundreds of thousands of acres, improves navigation
both above and below Aswan, and generates enormous amounts of electric
power. The dam’s 12 turbines can generate 2.1 gigawatts, while the
reservoir also supports a fishing industry. However, there have been
several negative effects. Fertility, and hence the productivity of
Egypt’s riverside agricultural lands, has gradually worsened because
much of the flood and its rich fertilising silt is now impounded in
reservoirs and canals. This means the silt is no longer deposited on
farmlands by the Nile’s rising waters. Egypt’s annual application of
about 1m tonnes of artificial fertiliser is no substitute for the 40m
tonnes of silt previously deposited annually by the Nile flood |
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The Elwha dams and Glines Canyon dam in the US
Completed in 1913, the 33m high Elwha dam is situated about 6.43km from
the mouth of the Elwha river. About 16km farther upriver sits the
64-metre-high Glines Canyon dam, which was completed in 1927. Both dams,
constructed to provide electricity for a paper mill in the city of Port
Angeles, were built without fish ladders, which allow salmon to
navigate through dams. The dams played an important role in the early
development of the Olympic peninsula in Washington state at the turn of
the last century. Today they are obsolete, because most of the region’s
power is now imported via an electric grid from Portland, Oregon. They
are being dismantled in the largest dam removal in US history |
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Ethiopia’s Gibe III dam
Agricultural developments along the Omo river valley have accompanied
the building of the 243-metre high Gibe III dam, expected to be
Ethiopia’s largest investment project and Africa’s largest hydropower
plant. But allegations of human rights abuses have marred both the dam’s
construction and the creation of a 140-mile long reservoir intended to
provide water for irrigation of industrial-scale plantations. Some of
the greatest hydrological effects could be seen near Lake Turkana, into
which the river Omo flows. When the dam is complete and the reservoir is
full, possibly in 2015, the lake could shrink to one third of its
present size, jeopardising the livelihoods of up to 300,000 people |
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South-east Asia’s Mekong dam
Laos hopes to built a 1,285 megawatt hydroelectric plant at Xayaburi
that would supply Thailand with electricity and open the door to a host
of other proposed dams on the Mekong. But until now its plans have been
fiercely opposed by Cambodia and Vietnam. Both countries fear the
blockage would sharply reduce the water needed for downstream fisheries
and irrigation. In December, the governments involved in the Mekong
river commission – Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand – agreed the
$3.5bn scheme should be halted pending a more complete assessment of its
impact |
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Brazil’s Belo Monte dam
According to the Brazilian energy ministry, the dam, expected to start
production in 2015, will cost around R$20bn (around $11bn) and will
eventually produce around 11,000 megawatts. But environmentalists and
indigenous leaders have strongly opposed the plans, which the government
admits would result in approximately 500sq km of land being flooded.
Activists believe the dam’s construction would result in thousands being
displaced. The proposed construction of the dam, on the Xingu river in
the Amazon state of Para, is part of a major government investment drive
to help the country keep up with soaring energy demand from a rapidly
expanding economy, while also curbing greenhouse gas emissions.
Hydroelectric power produces no direct carbon dioxide |