China admits of serious problems in the Three Gorges dam

Beijing, May 25: China has finally shed its image of being infallible and admitted that the Three Gorges Dam is

that could swell into monstrous proportions. The Three Gorges Dam is the world's largest hydropower plant.

A statement issued by the Chinese Government has said, "At the same time that the Three Gorges Dam project provides huge comprehensive benefits, urgent problems must be resolved regarding the smooth relocation of residents, ecological protection and geological disaster prevention."

Admitting that the dam has negatively impacted downstream river water, transport and migration, the statement said, "Some problems emerged at various stages of project planning and construction but could not be solved immediately due to the conditions at the time. Some arose because of increased demands brought on by economic and social development."

This is the first major admission by the Chinese government about the negative aspects of the dam. The dam, which was built at the cost of $28 billion has been a source of pride for the government but on the flip side its construction displaced more than 1.4 million residents along the Yangtze river delta.

The dam which was originally built to control the impact of the heavy flooding that the Yangtze river delta experienced each summer was completed in 2006 and has been a major cause of landslides and pollution in the nearby areas.

OneIndia News