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Three Gorges Dam Essay

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Three Gorges Dam

The Three Gorges are known to be a famous tourist attraction for its beautiful scenery, located in northeastern China along the Yangzi River. The Yangzi River runs 3700 miles long, being the third longest river in the world after the Nile and Amazon Rivers. The Qutang Gorge, the Wuxia Gorge, and the Xiling Gorge are the three Yangzi River gorges that make up the Three Gorges. The Three Gorges are not only famous for its scenery, but also its disastrous flooding. Within a century, five major floods have occurred killing over 300,000 people living in cities along the bank of the river. This is due to the constant sediment deposits along the river, causing the river bed to …show more content…

Export Import Bank are unwilling to provide financial assistance for the construction of the dam. Therefore, most costs will be depended upon the national energy tax, government bonds, and any other trust funds raised. The dam will produce the energy of 84 billion kilowatt hours per year, which is enough to supply 11-15% of China's energy. Project loans and interest is planned to be paid off by this energy generated in 2-3 years upon completion of the dam. The inexpensive electricity and cheap river transportation is expected to turn this region into an international investment.

The Yangzi River acts as a transportation highway for people living along the banks of the river. The reservoir will become a great advantage to those travelling along the river. It will help bring ships inland, allowing about 50 million tonnes of extra freight to be transported along the river each year. The project will "reduce freight costs and facilitate trade in the area."[4]

Many people have criticised the actual value of the dam. People have claimed that coal supply has kept pace with China's development, keeping energy prices low; the dam is unnecessary since "electricity prices will remain so low that the project will never pay for itself."[5] Some have also complained that the dam will destroy the Yangzi scenery, which would result in less revenue

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