CHINA / Environment  | 
 
Environmental Benefit of Three Gorges Project(www.ctgpc.com)Updated: 2007-04-16 10:32 Environmental Benefit of Three Gorges Project Three Gorges project will not only produce huge economic benefit, but also play great role in improving the ecological environment of Yangtze River areas. 
 The project can effectively adjust the upstream flood of Yangtze River, which 
will assure a flood control standard of the Jingjiang section, a downstream 
reach to Three Gorges of Yangtze River, arise from currently preventing 10-year 
flood to controlling 100-year flood. Even in case of a rare occurrence of 
1000-year flood, mass damages or injuries can still be prevented. At the same 
time, social problems such as environmental deterioration and epidemics related 
to the flood or flood diversion can also be avoided. Thus the project will 
protect 1.5 million hectare of farmland and towns, and 15 million of people from 
flood damage at Jianghan Plain and Dongting Lake area. And also the project will 
raise the reliability of flood control in the mid and lower reach of Yangtze 
River, relieve the sand silt of Dongting Lake and create favorable conditions 
for dredge of the lake, and prevention and cure of the schistosomiasis epidemics 
in the lake area.  Compared to the coal-fired power stations with equivalent electricity 
generation, Three Gorges Power Plant will decrease emission of 100 million tons 
of CO2, 2 million tons of SO2, 0.37 million tons of nitrogen oxide and a lot of 
waste water and solid waste. It will bring a great benign influence in 
improvement of environment, especially preventing acid rain and greenhouse 
effect in East and Central China.  The Three Gorges reservoir, after the project is completed, will improve the 
weather in this area, be favorable for agriculture, and improve water quality in 
the mid and lower reach, which will relieve the invasion of saline tide in the 
river's mouth to East China Sea. 
 
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