The Three Gorges Dam is the biggest in the world. It's also the largest hydroelectric project ever built. But what are the human and environmental costs of this massive construction?
THE RIVER: The dam has changed forever the Yangtze river, which divides China's north from its south. As the water rises, the beauty of the gorges is diminishing. But some say this is a small price to pay for a dam, which can control disastrous flooding and could soon power one third of the households in China.
GEOLOGICAL DISASTER: While the water level is slowly rising, it's also fluctuating as the water is released and then held back downriver to control seasonal flooding. Some scientists fear this will lead to geological disaster.
COLLAPSING HOMES: The area near the river is already prone to geological instability, but local villagers say the rising river level has increased the number and ferocity of the landslides they experience. Many houses are suffering structural damage - some are collapsing.
SAVING ON COAL: On the other side of the argument, the electricity generated by the dam is equivalent to the power generated by 50 million tonnes of raw coal, meaning China can avoid the emission of about 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide - a big environmental consideration.
MAKING MONEY: But critics claim the building of the dam is really more about making money than the environment. China has a saying: "Silver bridge, golden highway and diamond dam". In other words, if you get a contract to build a bridge it means you have silver. If you get a contract to build a highway it means you have gold. If you get a contract to build a dam, you have diamonds.
MORE DAMS TO COME: China plans to dam many more of its rivers. And it's now building dams for other countries in the developing world who are envious of China's startling economic growth. But the Three Gorges Dam has shown that if you want the benefits of hydropower, you'd better prepare for the costs.
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