One official explained that “the shore of the reservoir had collapsed in 91 places and a total of 36km had already caved in”. Such landslides have produced waves up to 50m tall which then slam into the shore wreaking further havoc. In July, the Times notes, “a mountain along a tributary collapsed, dragging 13 farmers to their deaths and drowning 11 fishermen in a two-storey-high wave”.
Geological instability isn’t the only unforeseen negative effect of the Three Gorges. Downstream of the dam, locals have been battling two billion rats forced into farmland by rising water levels after the dam authority released a large amount of Yangtze River water “to control flooding in the face of the annual rainy season”.
Three Gorges Dam an ‘environmental catastrophe’| The Register
I remember when the project was planned and engineers and environmentalists the world over suggested it would be a catastrophe. Prescience—or just good science?
A first year engineering student can tell you that the first thing you do when contemplating the construction of a reservoir is complete an exhaustive study of the effect of flooding on the local geology. They simply ignored the issue, knowing that it would affect such a small percentage of their population that they would be able to handle any resulting problems. The only reason they’re coming clean on this is the upcoming Olympics, which will probably necessitate closing the sightseeing at Three Gorges because they can’t afford to lose a boatload of Westerners.