Three Gorges Dam

​Answers

Match

Match the following

• Define: Import

• Define: Export

• Define: Trade

• What % of the worlds manufacturing did China make in 2019?

• Give one cause of migration in China

Bring goods into a country from abroad

Send goods for sale to another country

The act of buying and selling goods

28.7%

Employment

Education

Quality of life

• Bring goods into a country from abroad

• Send goods for sale to another country

• The act of buying and selling goods

• 28.7%

• Employment

  Education

  Quality of life

​Answers

Open Ended

What is this? What is it doing?

​Lesson Objectives

​To explain the location of the Three Gorges Dam
To analyse the impacts of the Three Gorges Dam
To Evaluate the benefits of the Three Gorges Dam

​Hydroelectric Dams

​

• A dam is a structure built across a stream or river to hold water back. 

• Dams can be used to store water, control flooding, and generate renewable electricity.

• Within the dam are gates which allow a certain amount of water to flow through. Water flows downwards due to gravity through these pipes and through turbines. These turbines spin and produce hydroelectricity.

​Three Gorges Dam

​

• The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric gravity dam that spans the Yangtze River in central China, downstream of the Three Gorges. 

• The Three Gorges Dam has been the world's largest power station in terms of installed capacity since 2012. 

• It was opened in 2003 but construction began in 1994.

Open Ended

Describe the location of the Three Gorges Dam

Open Ended

What were some advantages of the Three Gorges Dam?

​Flood Control

​The Three Gorges Dam, one of the largest engineering projects in the world, provides many important benefits. One of the main advantages is its ability to control floods. The Yangtze River has a history of dangerous flooding, which has caused many deaths and destroyed homes and farmland. The dam helps manage the river's water levels, reducing the risk of floods. This protection means that people living downstream are safer, and their homes and farms are less likely to be damaged by floodwaters.

​Another significant benefit of the Three Gorges Dam is its production of electricity. The dam has the largest hydroelectric power station in the world, generating a huge amount of renewable energy. This helps China reduce its dependence on coal, which is a major source of air pollution and greenhouse gases. By using water to produce electricity, the dam provides a cleaner and more sustainable source of power. This is better for the environment and helps in the fight against climate change.

​Hydroelectricity

​Transport

​The dam also improves transportation along the Yangtze River. Before the dam was built, parts of the river were too shallow for large ships. Now, with the higher water levels created by the dam, bigger ships can travel further upstream. This makes it easier and cheaper to move goods and raw materials, boosting trade and helping the local economy. The improved transport links make it easier for businesses to operate and for goods to reach different parts of China.

Match

Match the following

• What River is the

  The Gorges Dam on?

• When was the dam constructed?

• Reservoir

• Which city is at the mouth of the river?

• What is the name for electricity created by the flow of water?

The Yangtze

1994-2003

a manmade lake behind a dam

Shanghai

Hydroelectric Power

• The Yangtze

• 1994-2003

• a manmade lake behind a dam

• Shanghai

• Hydroelectric Power

​Answers

Open Ended

What might some disadvantages be?

Drag and Drop

The Three Gorges Dam was constructed at Yichang on the River ​

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The construction of the dam provided over 60,000 ​

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with jobs. 

The capacity of the reservoir should reduce the risk of flooding downstream from a 1-in-10 year event to a ​

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year event. 

Not only will this benefit over 15million people living in high-risk flood areas, it will also protect over ​

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The dam has  ​

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  hydroelectric generators which have generated 22,500 megawatts of electricity (enough to power 22million homes) The electricity generated is completely sustainableThe dam is already having a positive impact on flood control, navigation and electricity production, but it has caused problems. 

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

Yangtze.

local people

1-in-100

32

25,000ha of farmland.

Mekong

Amazon

12

children

8 billion kilometre

Drag and Drop

The Yangtze used to carry over 500 million tonnes of ​

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every year. 

Up to 50% of this is now deposited behind the dam, which could quickly ​

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the storage capacity of the reservoir. 

The water in the reservoir is becoming heavily ​

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 from shipping and waste discharged from industry.

For example, Chongqing pumps in over 1billion tonnes of untreated waste per year. 

Toxic substances from ​

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, mines and waste tips submerged by the reservoir are also being released into the water. 

Most controversially, at least 1.4 million ​

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were forced to leave their homes to make room for the dam, reservoir and Power StationsThese displaced people were promised compensation for their losses, plus new homes and jobs. 

Many have not yet received this, and newspaper articles in China have admitted that so far over $50 billion set aside for this have been taken by corrupt local officials.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

sediment

reduce

polluted

factories

residents

erosion

increase

contaminated

industries

evacuees

​Landslides

​

The raising and lowering of the water level in the reservoir also destabilises the land around it. Water seeps into the soil in the cliffs surrounding the reservoir, causing enough erosion to make the ground slip. The shore of Three Gorges reservoir has already collapsed in more than 90 places. Villagers in the area have reported mudslides and cracks appearing in their backyards. In 2003, 700 million cubic feet (20 million cubic meters) of rock slid into the Qinggan River just a couple of miles from where it flows into the Yangtze. The rockslide spawned 65-foot (20-meter) waves that killed 14 people. 

​Drought

​

 Ironically, just as the Three Gorges project seeks to prevent flooding, it's causing drought by reducing water levels in the Yangtze River. In 2008, the China Daily newspaper reported that the river had hit its lowest level in 142 years. That precipitous drop in water level strand­ed ships and led to water shortages in central and eastern China, including in Shanghai, China's largest city.

​Habitat loss

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 The dam flooded some animal and plant habitats, while leaving others high and dry. Pollution in the water makes it impossible for many fish to survive. Three Gorges threatens more than 400 plant species, including the Chinese dove tree and dawn redwood, as well as a number of fish and the rare Baiji dolphin.

​

The reservoir will inundate ancient villages, temples and burial grounds, destroying thousands of years' worth of irreplaceable history. Archaeologists and historians say almost 1,300 important historical sites will be submerged, including the 4,000-year-old homeland of the ancient Ba people 

​Lost History

Categorize

Options (12)

• The flood risk for homes and businesses is greatly reduced.

• Water for irrigation is available from the lake formed behind the dam.

• Hydroelectric power is generated- is the worlds largest capacity HEP station.

• HEP means China produces far less greenhouse gasses from burning fossil fuels.

• The river is more navigable for ships so transport has improved.

• Good farmland lost due to the lake.

Over 1.3 million people forced to leave their homes

• Important cultural sites were lost.

• Increases the risk of landslides.

• The project was expensive ($US 22.5 billion).

Sediment is building up behind the dam

• Wetland areas have been destroyed

Organise these options into the right categories

Advantage

Disadvantage

Open Ended

Do you think the Three Gorges Dam is a good idea?

Why?

Labelling

Place them on the scale as to how they would feel about the Three Gorges Dam

Drag labels to their correct position on the image

Historian

Environmentalists

Tourist

Grain farmer downstream

Local engineer

Chinese Government

Shipping company

Resident upstream

Fishing company

Factory worker

Open Ended

Who do you think is the biggest supporter of the dam? Why?

Who do you think supports it the least? Why?

​The Future

​The Chinese government is taking steps -- to the tune of billions of dollars -- to make the dam and reservoir safer. It's spending $3.2 billion on water treatment projects, and another $1.6 billion on fortifying the reservoir banks to prevent landslides. It's finding new spawning areas for threatened fish species, and it moved many ancient relics before they ended up underwater.

Open Ended

Explain two disadvantages of the Three Gorges Dam

Example Answer

​

A disadvantage of the Three Gorges Dam is that the reservoir flooded 13 cities, 140 towns and 1,350 villages. As a result of this, 1.3million people had to be relocated, and were not compensated for their disturbance.

Another disadvantage of the dam is the 400mile long reservoir causing landslides and earthquakes. In 2006, there were 822 earthquakes and 90 landslides, resulting in the death of 14 people.

​Lesson Objectives

​To explain the location of the Three Gorges Dam
To analyse the impacts of the Three Gorges Dam
To Evaluate the benefits of the Three Gorges Dam

​Homework

​Please answer the following question. 
"Evaluate the success of the Three Gorges Dam"
You could use this structure:

Introduction: What is the Three Gorges Dam? Why was it constructed?
Positives: What are the good things about the dam?
Negatives: What are the problems caused by the dam?
Conclusion: Overall, do you think it is a success or not?