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The concrete portion of the huge dam was built between 1994 and 2006. Since then, engineers have been finishing the part of the dam that holds equipment used to make electricity.
As the Three Gorges Dam nears an early finish, some scientists are concerned about the safety of people living nearby. To build the dam, the Chinese government forced people to leave their homes. Now, even more people may have to leave because the dam may be making the ground unstable.
World's Biggest Dam
The Three Gorges Dam stretches across the Chang River. The dam is more than 1.4 miles long and 607 feet high. The river it blocks used to flow freely, flooding the region each year. The dam has turned part of the river into a huge artificial lake called a reservoir.
The reservoir serves two purposes. It controls the floods that made life along the river dangerous. It is also part of a system that makes hydroelectricity. The dam forces water through narrow channels. The flowing water turns electric generators.
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Forced Moves
Many people have been forced to make sacrifices so this huge power project could be built. More than 1 million people had to leave their homes as the reservoir filled with water. The water covered roads, homes, buildings, and entire villages. The growing reservoir also swallowed up pieces of Chinese history. More than 1,000 archeological sites are now under water.
By September of this year, the water level will reach its final depth of almost 575 feet. But as the water level rises, Chinese officials are moving even more people. The weight of all the water is changing the shape of the land, making some places dangerous to live.
In many places around the reservoir, people face the threat of landslides. Roads, homes, and fields on the sides of the valley have slipped down. Last year, Chinese engineers reported that more than 4,700 landslides have occurred since the dam was built.
The Chinese government says that many of the landslides are normal. At a news conference at the end of last year, the director of the dam construction committee told reporters that things were under control. “... we believe that the Chinese government has paid close attention to this,” said Wang Xiaofeng, “and there will not be any major damage to the life and property of the people along the Yangtze [Chang] River.”
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