As protests continue over dam-building, a landmark review calls for a reth ink on future projects. On the drawing board, state planners proudly say that by the time the Three Gorges Dam is fully operational in 2009, it will hold back an artificial lake up to 600 km long, a kilometer across and 175 meters deep. That, at least, is the theory. On the ground, the reality is different.
Critics argue that the dam is a folly from an environmental, technical and social point of view.
Not a chance. For the Communist Party, the Three Gorges is a matter of political face, and nothing will be allowed to stand in its way. It calls, for instance, for the resettlement of some 1.2 million people, divided almost equally between rural and urban residents. Officials insist the program is on schedule. Critics say that the project is marred by widespread mismanagement, graft, falsification of relocation figures, inadequate planning and insufficient compensation.