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China dam plan threatens world's oldest irrigation system
Beijing (AFP) Nov 2, 2007 The world's earliest irrigation system is being threatened by a hydroelectric project to be built in southwest China, state press said Friday, citing critics of the project. A series of 10 small hydro plants to be built on the Botiao river in Sichuan province will destroy the natural ecology of the Dujiangyan irrigation system, a UNESCO World Heritage listed site, the China Daily reported. "It is irrational to build such stations as they will destroy the natural ecology along the river," Chen Qingheng, a expert at the China Academy of Sciences, was quoted by the paper as saying. "Moreover, (the dams) will affect the local drinking water." The system was built around 250 BC and continues to work "perfectly" today in controlling and distributing water throughout the Chengdu plains, according to the UNESCO website that explains why Dujiangyan has World Heritage listing. The Dujiangyan administration bureau is a backer of the one billion yuan (135 million dollar) dam project, which if built will have a combined electrical capacity of 100,000 kilowatts, according to the China Daily. The dam project is currently undergoing an environmental impact assessment, the paper said of what is often the final step in project approval. Besides threatening the local fresh water supplies, the 10 dams could also become a flood hazard to farms in the region, other opponents said. "If the dams are breached, every farm and village in the area will be at risk," said Zhao Wenqian, deputy head of the Sichuan provincial academy of water resources. Over recent decades, China has engaged in massive hydroelectric development to feed its skyrocketing energy needs, but critics often oppose projects due to the large ecological and cultural damage that the dams cause. The Botiao river is a branch of the Min river which in turn is a major tributary of the Yangtze, China's longest river and home to the just completed Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest dam project. Related Links Water News - Science, Technology and Politics
Suburban murder over water shocks Australia
Sydney (AFP) Nov 1, 2007Drought-stricken Australia has been shocked by the killing of a pensioner in an argument over suburban water restrictions as he hosed his lawn. |
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