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Function of Three Gorges Project

1. Flood Control

The plain areas along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze boast highly developed industry and agriculture. Nevertheless these areas are most vulnerable to floods and waterlogging, because the flood level can be 6-17 meters higher than the ground level of the adjacent plains and they are protected only by the 33,000- kilometer- long dykes . Flooding has been very frequent since ancient times and the reoccurence interval is about 10 years. This is easy to understand because the flood-discharging capacity of the river channel from Jingjiang to Wuhan,which is only 60,000-70,000 m/s,is far too small to discharge the large floods as high as 110,000 m/s. The Three Gorges Dam(TGD)can protect the downstream plain against the biggest flood in 100 years and prevent devastating disasters from occurring in case of the biggest flood in 1000 years,with the help of the flood diversion structure.To avoid heavy losses caused by a possible war, we can prelower the water level, because modern wars always have signs. History will prove the project is the "Patron Saint" ensuring the safety of lives and properties of more than 15 million people inhabiting the downstream areas and 1.53 million ha. farmland as well as the Beijing -Guangzhou and Beijing-Jiulong railroads.

2. Power Generation

After completion,the Yangtze River water will be used to produce electricity first at Three Gorges Power Station(TGPS) then regulated by the Gezhouba Project for the purpose of navigation and finally reused for power generation at the Gezhouba Power Station. Thus the total annual output of the two stations is expected to reach 195 billion kwh .When completed,the power output will generate a yearly net value of 10 .5 billion yuan($ 1. 2billion) on the assumption that the price of electricity is 0.1 yuan ($0.0114)per kwh, and an output value of 525 billion yuan($60.3billion)on the assumption that 1 kwh of electricity can produce an output value of 5 yuan ($0.57),which can result in job opportunities for nearly 5.25 million people assuming that a yearly value of 10,000 yuan($1,149)can be created per person.It should also be noted that the Project enjoys a very advantageous geographical position ,being within 1,000 km of many industrial centers.it is expected to be the network junction for graphical position,being within 1, 000 km of many industrial centers.It is expected to be the network junction for all the power grids in the country.When the grid goes into operation, it will not only supplement the available thermal power, hydro-power and nuclear power in the country, but also upgrade the quality and efficiency of the grid, which will certainly make the Project the national nerve centre-the electricity dispatching centre.

3. Navigation

At present,the 660 km waterway between Chongqing and Yichang cuts through hills and mountain gorges with a 120-meter drop and 139 dangerous shoals and rapids,46 one- way sections, 25 locations where large fully-loaded freighters need winching and the annual one- way shipping capacity is less than 10 million tons. The completion of the project will substantially improve the navigation conditions on the river above the dam,with the navigation channel broadened to an average of 1,100 meters,enabling 10, 000 tons to sail all the way from Shanghai to Chongqing.This improvement can lead to an annual increase in one-way shipping capacity to 50 million tons and a cut in the shipping cost by 37‰ ,creating conditions for boosting the economy of the Southwest,Central as well as East China.

4. Aquaculture

?The 175-meter-high dam will help to form a huge reservoir of 1,150 km .Apart from waterway,there is still 700km of water surface. The flow velocity will be slower and the water will be clearer, more nutritious and warmer in the surface layer,which will make a vast fresh water aquaculture base for raising shrimps. shellfish,fishes,geese,ducks and crabs.Consequently,the formation of the reservoir will result in rapid development of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, sideline production as well as fishery on both banks of the reservoir.

5. Tourism

After completion,the water level behind the dam will be raised by 110 meters.Though some scenic spots and places of historical interests such as QuYuan Temple, Zhang Fei Temple and several sites or stone inscription will be submerged,the scenery on the whole will remain as magnificent,unique and mysterious as ever. Besides, careful plans have been made to remove or rebuild the ones to be submerged. The mountains that flank Qutang Gorge and Wuxia Gorge, for example, reach more than 1,000 meters above sea level, and the water level enhancement there will only be about 38-46 meters respectively.The formation of the artificial lakes among spectacular mountains will only add to the beauty of the Three Gorges because a lot of of new scenic spots will turn up and dozens of scenic spots scattered along the Three Gorges will be more easily accessible. These include the Dazu Stone Sculpture, the Gaolan scenic area covered with an ocean of pine tress,the Minor Three Gorges along the Daning River, Shennongjia nature reserve, Shennong Brook, Gezi River Stone Forest as well as the two modern wonders-the Gezhouba Dam and the Three Gorges Dam.That's why the future Three Gorges, a combination of natural beauty,ancient cultural relics and historical sites as well as modern miracles,will intoxicate travellers from all over the world.

6. Development-oriented resettlement

From 1985 to 1993, the government invested 1. 2 billion yuan( $ 137 million)for experimental settlement in the pilot areas. These include 14,000 ha.of newly opened and improved terraced fields, 1500 items of construction of buildings, houses, bridges, roads and water supply projects for resettlement,and the resettlement of 30,000 migrants and 100 factors.All these projects have already achieved tangible economic returns and are well received by the settlers.Valuable experiences have fully proved that the development-oriented policy provides a very good opportunity for the settlers to free themselves from poverty.That's why the construction of the Project has brought about a once- in- the- blue -moon opportunity for economic boom for the regions around the reservoir.

7.Transferring water from the south to the north

The annual runoff of the Yangtze River into the sea is 23 times more than that of the yellow River.It is estimated that the total volume of water to be consumed in the Yangtze valley after the year 2000 will be approximately 210 billion m³ a year , and about half of it can be recycled.However North China,especially Beijing suffered several severe water shortages.In 1981, the water crisis forced the thermal power plants to stop operation,which resulted in industry shortages. which resulted in industry losses of about 2 billion yuan ( $ 229 million).It is very common that high buildings have inadequate water supply,but on the other hand,luxury hotels are mushrooming.To alleviate this intense situation,Beijing has to get water supply from Guanting and Miyun reservoirs which were originally planned mainly for agriculture irrigation. It is estimated that the amount of water shortage each year in Beijing, Zhengzhou and several other northern cities after the year 2000 total 40 billion m³.The rise to 175 meters of the Danjiangkou Dam,which is the source for transferring water from the South to the North,can only bring the water transfer volume up to 23 billion m³.What is the way out? The Yangtze Three Gorges Project .After the completion of the TGP,by taking advantage of the time between 0:00 to 6:00am,when power transmission load is sharply released, the water lever of the TGD will be raised by a dozen meters with water from Xiangxi River,a tributary in the backwater area,enabling the water to run through Shenlongjia to the Danjiangkou Reservoir and further through Henan,Hebei Provinces and then finally to Beijing and Tianjin ,consequently,alleviating the water shortage in these areas. The above facts show the transferring water from the South to the North can not only relieve the water shortage in the North, but also reduce the transportation pressure and high demand for farmland caused by transferring coal from the South to the North. It's of great immediate and historical significance for ecological protection and reducing pollution.

8.Water Supply and Irrigation

As we know, the North China plain makes up 40% of China's cultivated land, but its river runoff takes up only 6.5% of the country's total. In the recent few decades, North China has been developing very rapidly in industry, agriculture, business, trade, science and tourism. All these, together with the population explosion have made water crisis in these areas worse than ever.Many rivers such as Shaying River, Daqing River and Ziya River which used to be very highly developed in navigation are no longer suitable for navigation now. The famous Baiyangdian Lake has dried up several times and even the Yellow River nearly dried up in 1992. For water supply and irrigation, the limited underground water has been overextracted and this is after all an utterly inadequate measure. Water is vital to these areas because these are important production areas of grain and cotton in China. The estimated annual shortage of water in these areas is about 70 billion m³. The only way to alleviate the pressing needs is to build the TGP. Further extension of the transferring canal from Beijing to the Han River will enable the water of the Yangtze to flow to the North. Thus the thirsty land can get watered and the fertile land of China will overflow even more fresh with powerful vigor.