Even though water is not always available in the needed quantity and quality for all people everywhere, people have learned to get and use water for all of their water needs, from drinking, cleaning, irrigating crops, producing electricity, and for just having fun. Hydropower, or hydroenergy, is a form of renewable energy that uses the water stored in dams, as well as flowing in rivers to create electricity in hydropower plants. The falling water rotates blades of a turbine, which then spins a generator that converts the mechanical energy of the spinning turbine into electrical energy.
Hydroelectric power is a significant component of electricity So just how do we get electricity from water? Actually, hydroelectric and coal-fired power plants produce electricity in a similar way.
In both cases a power source is used to turn a propeller-like piece called a turbine. Nothing is perfect on Earth, and that includes the production of electricity using flowing water. Hydroelectric-production facilities are indeed not perfect a dam costs a lot to build and also can have negative effects on the environment and local ecology , but there are a number of advantages of hydroelectric-power production as opposed to fossil-fuel power production. Environmental problems have been getting worse.
And the domestic social and economic impacts of the coronavirus crisis have hit China hard. The latest crisis within China is dangerous flooding along the Yangtse River, which is testing the design of the huge Three Gorges Dam. The structure lies about kilometres west of Wuhan, the metropolis of close to 20 million people where the novel coronavirus first broke out. The threats arising from the flooding have led to the evacuation of about 40 million people.
Safety issues concerning the Three Gorges Dam reflect long-standing international debates about infrastructure, and especially dams, in developing countries.
Large dam projects are almost always controversial. On one hand, some groups — especially in wealthy countries but also in the developing world — argue that the environmental and social costs of large dam projects such as the Three Gorges Dam outweigh the benefits. On the other hand, pro-development organisations in lower-income countries point to advantages that dams bring for farmers through expanded irrigation and for the nation through increases in electricity supplies.
There was a major effort to resolve these vexed arguments when the World Commission on Dams was established in The Commission, reporting in , concluded that across the world, large dams had made an important contribution to human development. Yet the conclusion was clear:.
The guiding principle of the program is that the life of the relocatees can only be improved. For this purpose, the government has adopted development-oriented resettlement, in other words, to combine resettlement with local economic development. The relocatees find higher-paying jobs in the newly set up businesses, which are usually located within the same country or city.
Therefore, they feel quite at home and enjoy a better living in their new homes. There has been concern about possible negative impacts on the environment by the project both at home and abroad. This issue has been given very serious consideration and numerous measures have been taken to ensure environmental protection.
For instance, the project construction will affect the habitats of Chinese river dolphin and Chinese sturgeon. So, the present protection areas and artificial breeding fields for them will be further perfected. It is not insignificant that the project will supply clean energy, replacing the burning of 50 million tons of raw coal annually.
According to calculations, the discharge into the atmosphere of million tons of carbon dioxide, 1. For example, the White Crane Backbone, an ancient identification record of dry seasons in the history will be relocated. Temporary ship locks are being built to ensure safe passage during the flood season which normally begins in May. The diversion channel will guarantee that passenger and cargo transport needs are met in the upper reaches of the Yangtze river during construction.
Permanent ship locks will be in operation after the year The normal water level of meters will be achieved in the year , with the reservoir covering 1, sq. The resettlement effort and the area to be inundated are unprecedented in Chinese history, with inundation affecting townships in 21 counties, cities or districts in Sichuan and Hubei provinces. Some , people are scheduled for resettlement, with unforeseen factors most likely raising the figure to 1.
The Three Gorges Reservoir will inundated 31, hectares of farmland, and will require the relocation of 1, industrial and mining enterprises, as well as power transmission and telecommunications facilities, harbors, small and medium-sized hydro-electric power plants, roads and pumping stations. The new reservoir, typical of facilities in gorges, will not have a so-called "big-belly" section similar to other facilities built on lakes.
Charm of Three Gorges to Remain The Three Gorges, one of the world's most famous scenic sites around Qutang, Wuxian and Xiling, features breathtaking scenery which attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists from at home and abroad each and every year. The charming scenery will be left untouched following the damming of the mid-section of the Xiling Gorge. The high-water mark once the dam is completed will stand at However, the rise in the water level will have little impact on scenery in the Three Gorges which sit at an elevation of some 1, meters above sea level.
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