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Photo Essays
A narrative by photographer on the Three Gorges Dam.
The photos and comments here are taken from the "The Cost of Power in China: The Three Gorges Dam and the Yangtze River Valley" collection.
This photo essay in its orginal form and more can be found at his website.
Population Data taken from www.world-gazetteer.com
"New Harbor", Chongqing pop. 3,378,000 as of 2004
Chongqing is situated at the terminus of the Three Gorges Dam Reservoir. This city was once the capital of China under Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-Shek, from 1938 - 1946, during the Sino-Japanese War while Beijing and Nanjing were under Japanese control. In 1997, the Chinese government gave Chongqing the designation of municipality, incorporating 80 percent of the reservoir area and giving it the landmass equivalent of Austria with a population of 30 million people.
"Smoking", Chongqing pop. 3,378,000 as of 2004
Chongqing is considered one of China's most polluted cities. It is said that just breathing the air here is like smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.
"Water Levels", Chongqing pop. 3,378,000 as of 2004
"Crypt", Fuling pop. 1,689,000 as of 2004
An estimated 40,000 crypts will be covered by water. This is particularly difficult for the valley's older residents who had hoped to be buried with their ancestors.
"Factory", Yangtze River
One thousand,six-hundred factories and manufacturing facilities along the river have been burying toxic waste for 50 years.The concern of environmentalists and scientists is that once the water rises the lead, mercury, arsenic and dozens of other poisons, including radioactive waste, will leach out into the reservoir destroying aquatic life. 75 million people depend on the river for fishing and farming.
"Fengdu", Yangtze River, Fengdu County population 740,000 as of 2004
In Chinese legend, the city of Fengdu is where all souls go to be judged. The person in charge of relocating the population of this city was convicted of embezzling 1.4 million dollars from the relocation fund and sentenced to death.
"Water Depth", Wushan
"Dragon Gate Gorge", Daning River
The Daning River is a Yangtze tributary. It was once the home of a mysterious 4,000 year old culture known as the Ba. They buried their dead in boat shaped cedar coffins and placed them in crevices high up on the cliffs.
"Farmer's House", Dragon Gate Village
Only 40 percent of the of the estimated one million farmers are expected to receive new land to farm. Typically it is the farmers who would shake their fists in the air saying, "I love my country". Now they are saying, "The government doesn't care about the common man. They want to turn our mountains into hills. They think we can survive eating rocks and mud soup. We will stand in our fields until the water covers our heads".
"Archaeological Site", Xiling Gorge
8,000 known archaeological sites will be lost when the dam is completed.
"Farming", New City Zigui
The landscape is strewn with thousands of concrete pyramids that were originally intended for use in the construction of the coffer dams. Prior to construction, French and German engineers discovered that the cement
used to produce the pyramids was made with 50 percent water (to increase profits), and would begin to deteriorate within five years. They needed to last for a minimum of 15 years.
"Workers on Break", Three Gorges Dam
Each of the 26 water intake pipes are designed to carry the volume of water equivalent to the Missouri River.
"Construction Site", Three Gorges Dam
The Three Gorges Dam is being built in the vicinity of seismic fault lines. One of the greatest fears geologists have is that the immense weight of the reservoir will trigger earthquakes. 300 million people live downstream.
© Copyright World Internet News 2006-07
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