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Flashcards in China Three Gorges Dam Deck (52)
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1
Q

How long did it take to complete the dam?

A

17 years

2
Q

When was the dam completed?

A

2009

3
Q

How long is the dam?

A

2.3 km

4
Q

How high is the dam?

A

> 100 m high

5
Q

How much water in the reservoir?

A

> 1 trillion

6
Q

2 reasons for construction of dam

A
  • prevent seasonal flooding which caused deaths

- HEP for central and eastern China

7
Q

2 social pros of dam

A
  1. Reduced risk of flooding

2. Reservoir increases water availability

8
Q

By how much has the risk of flooding reduced?

A

1 in 10 years —> 1 in 100

9
Q

How many people were affected and how many died in 1954 floods?

A

19 M affected

30,000 deaths

10
Q

What can the reservoir water be used for? (3)

A

Irrigation, industry and consumption

11
Q

How many people have more water and in which part of China due to dam?

A

400 million in water deficient northern China

12
Q

3 economic advantages of dam

A
  1. HEP
  2. Improved navigation along river
  3. Increased tourism
13
Q

How much electricity does the dam generate per hour?

A

84 billion KW of electricity per hour

14
Q

How many people does the dam supply energy to who previously had no power?

A

60 million people

15
Q

How many nuclear power plants is the HEP from the dam equivalent

A

15

16
Q

How much further upstream can ships travel and why?

A

6000 km

River deeper

17
Q

By how much has trade increased due to the dam?

A

Transportation of goods increased from 10M to 50M tonnes per year

18
Q

How much have transportation costs been reduced by?

A

Between 30 and 37% cheaper

19
Q

By how much has the max ship size allowed on the river increased?

A

Max was 1500 ton

Now 10,000 ton

20
Q

Why and to where has tourism increased?

A
  • Reservoir view pleasing
  • Largest dam
  • Ocean vessels can travel further inland and reach Chongqing
21
Q

1 environmental pro of dam

A

Reduced use of non renewable resources in future due to cleaner and renewable HEP

22
Q

How much CO2 prevented if dam used to full capacity?

A

100 M tons

23
Q

How many tonnes of coal is equivalent to the dam turbines?

A

40 M tonnes

24
Q

4 social cons of dam

A
  • People displaced
  • Towns and villages flooded
  • Risk of landslides
  • Loss of historical sites
25
Q

How many people displaced for reservoir and from how many villages?

A

1.2 M people from over 10 villages

26
Q

How many more people will be displaced by 2020 and why?

A

530,000 people to relieve pressure on weak slopes

27
Q

How many towns did the reservoir submerge?

A

140 towns

28
Q

Which city was flooded and by how much was water level raised by?

A

Wuhan

Water level raised by 600 foot

29
Q

By how much has the risk of landslide increased and why?

A

70%

Due to water level reaching 175 meters

30
Q

When was there a landslide and how many people did it kill?

A

2007

48 killed

31
Q

How many historical sites destroyed

A

1300

32
Q

What effect has the loss of historical sites had?

A

Reduced tourism

33
Q

3 economic cons

A
  • Huge cost
  • Farmland flooded
  • Poverty
34
Q

What was the overall cost of the dam?

A

$37 billion

35
Q

Why was the flooded farmland important for China?

A

It provided 70% China’s rice crop

36
Q

How much farmland was lost?

A

14,500 hectares

37
Q

Were relocated farmers given good land?

A

NO - they were given steep slopes = reduction in food production

38
Q

What percentage of the relocatees live in extreme poverty?

A

70%

39
Q

What led to urban slums?

A

Promises of land and jobs to relocatees not met

40
Q

4 environmental cons

A
  1. Reduced sediment downstream
  2. Altered ecosystem = endangered species
  3. Silt deposited in reservoir
  4. Pollution
41
Q

By how much did sediment downstream reduce and between when?

A

By 50%

1998 - 2004

42
Q

Why is the building up of sediment behind the dam problematic?

A
  • Need dredging to remove it so dam doesn’t fail

- More erosion downstream as faster flow due to less sediment= levees eroded = flooding more likely

43
Q

2 species endangered

A

Giant panda, Yangtze Dolphin

44
Q

How many species of fish near extinction and why?

A

Migration of fish disrupted

6 species near extinction (2003 study showed)

45
Q

2 problems with silt deposited in reservoir

A
  • Not deposited on farmland = less fertile

- Reduces storage ability

46
Q

How much silt into reservoir per year

A

530 million tonnes

47
Q

How much untreated waste does which city dump in river each year?

A

Chongqing dumps 1 billion tonnes

48
Q

How does pollution of river affect wildlife.

A

Leads to algae booms

Kills wildlife

49
Q

Should the dam have been built?

A

No

50
Q

6 reasons why the dam shouldn’t have been built

A
  • Not used to full capacity due to droughts = full benefits not seen
  • 12% resettlement budget embezzled
  • Human costs > economic benefits
  • Knock on effects have reversed benefits of flood control
  • Cost of project won’t be repaid by amount of HEP
  • Huge impact on environment - should have chosen sustainable approach
51
Q

How much of resettlement budget embezzled?

A

12%

52
Q

What river and location?

A

Yangtze River, Hubei province