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When we mention the Three Gorges Dam, known as the world's largest water conservancy project, there is no doubt that it is the "important weapon of the country" of our great motherland. Since the impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam in 2003, many milestones have been made in the fields of flood control, power generation, and fishery.
The Three Gorges Dam gathers the world's most cutting-edge construction technology, consumes up to 28 million cubic meters of high-quality concrete, and skillfully uses innovative means such as mixing air-entraining agents and reducing the water-glue ratio, thus greatly improving the comprehensive performance of the dam in frost resistance, crack resistance, earthquake resistance, corrosion resistance and other aspects.
According to data provided by the Ministry of Water Resources, the construction standards of the Three Gorges Dam have far exceeded the service life of the country's first-class flood-contaminated buildings.
The most striking feature of the Three Gorges Dam is undoubtedly its unrivalled flood control capacity. The total storage capacity of the Three Gorges Reservoir is as high as 393 billion cubic meters, of which 221.5 billion cubic meters are used for flood control. This makes the Three Gorges Dam play an indispensable role in the Yangtze River flood control system.
In the case of the 1998 Yangtze River flood, for example, the maximum flow reached a staggering 63,000 cubic meters per second, but the maximum discharge capacity of the Three Gorges Dam was as high as 124,300 cubic meters per second, almost double the peak flood rate.
The power generation benefits of the Three Gorges Dam are equally impressive. The Three Gorges Hydropower Station generates an average of 84.68 billion kWh per year, and in 2020, it set a new record for the world's highest annual power generation by a single hydropower station, reaching a staggering 111.8 billion kWh.
This not only greatly enhances the mainland's energy supply capacity, but also brings rich economic benefits to the local area.
"The completion of the Three Gorges Dam has not only made great contributions to flood control, power generation, and shipping, but also provided strong support for the ecological protection and restoration of the Yangtze River Basin. Secretary Huang, who is in charge of the Three Gorges Project, said affectionately that this magnificent project can be called a glorious chapter in the history of water conservancy construction on the mainland.
At this moment, Lao Zhou couldn't help but sigh that the Three Gorges Dam has achieved such brilliant results in just 20 years, which is really breathtaking. Whether it is its flood control, power generation or ecological restoration functions, it is first-class, and it is really an important weapon of the country!
Although the Three Gorges Dam has shown extraordinary strength and achievements in flood control, power generation and fishing, with nearly 20 years of operation, the rapidly deteriorating sediment problem in the reservoir area has gradually become apparent, and has become a major hidden danger that has attracted widespread attention.
"Since the start of large-scale interception of the Three Gorges Dam in 1997 and the successful storage of hydropower in 2003, there has been a significant 'tail-lifting' effect in the reservoir area. Engineer Wang, who is in charge of the monitoring work, pointed out worriedly, "Due to the change of water level and water flow velocity, a large amount of sediment is gradually deposited at the end of the reservoir, which makes the siltation problem in the reservoir area increasingly serious."
What is jaw-dropping is that as of 2019, the total amount of sediment accumulated in the Three Gorges Reservoir area is as high as 1.842 billion tons, with an average of more than 100 million tons per year.
However, during this period, the amount of sediment entering the Three Gorges showed a sharp downward trend, especially in 2015, which set a record low.
"This means that although the amount of sediment entering the Three Gorges has dropped significantly, the siltation problem in the reservoir area continues to intensify.
When he heard this information, Lao Zhou, who was there to listen, fell into deep confusion.
After careful consideration, Professor Li replied solemnly: "Based on our modelling data, it will take at least 280 years for the Three Gorges Dam to be completely filled with silt.
So you don't have to worry too much that the Three Gorges Dam won't be in danger of being inundated with silt anytime soon.
However, Professor Li then reminded: "Nevertheless, we must not ignore the serious siltation problem in the reservoir area. If effective measures are not taken immediately to deal with the problem, it will still pose a serious threat to the safe operation of the Three Gorges Dam in the long run.
After learning of this situation, Lao Zhou finally felt a little relieved. He firmly believes that as long as the relevant departments pay enough attention and adopt practical countermeasures, the Three Gorges Dam will be able to successfully overcome this difficulty.
At the moment, Engineer Wang, who is in charge of the operation of the Three Gorges Project, said that they are actively adjusting the dispatch plan, moderately increasing the intensity of sediment discharge from the Three Gorges Reservoir, and at the same time strengthening the monitoring and evaluation of the siltation status in the reservoir area.
"This will not only alleviate the scouring and silting pressure of the downstream rivers, but also help improve the ecological environment of the Three Gorges Reservoir area itself."
In the face of such remarks, Lao Zhou was full of firm belief in the future development of the Three Gorges Dam! He was convinced that as long as all parties worked together and actively searched for the best way, they would certainly be able to find a scientific and feasible plan that could effectively control sediment accumulation without harming the ecological balance of the downstream.
Recalling the eventful years in the early days of the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, Lao Zhou was full of emotion. At that time, the state of the art was not yet as high as it is today, and the decision-making process was fraught with complex challenges.
However, just when everyone was shocked by the majestic momentum of the Three Gorges Dam and lamented the miracle of mankind, the increasingly serious problem of sediment accumulation in the reservoir area quietly emerged.
"Since the start of large-scale interception in 1997 and the realization of hydropower storage in 2003, due to changes in water level and flow velocity, there has been a significant 'tail-lifting' effect in the reservoir area, resulting in the continuous deposition of a large amount of sediment at the end of the reservoir.
Engineer Wang, who is in charge of monitoring, said worriedly.
According to statistics, as of 2019, the total amount of sediment accumulated in the Three Gorges Reservoir area has reached a staggering 1.842 billion tons, equivalent to an average of more than 100 million tons per year. What is even more worrying is that since 2013, the amount of sediment entering the Three Gorges has shown a sharp decline, but the siltation problem in the reservoir area is still serious.
"This is undoubtedly a major challenge for the Three Gorges Dam. Professor Li, who is in charge of the design of the Three Gorges Project, sighed, "On the one hand, the reduction in the amount of sediment entering the reservoir is closely related to the sediment retention function of the new hydropower stations in the upstream, and on the other hand, even if the sediment inflow decreases, the huge amount of sediment that has accumulated before still needs to be properly treated."
We must quickly find a scientific solution that can control the siltation of the reservoir area without affecting the ecological balance of the downstream area."
Hearing this, Lao Zhou couldn't help but feel deeply worried about the future development of the Three Gorges Dam. He thought to himself that after many years of wind and rain, the Three Gorges Dam has finally become a national heavyweight weapon that has attracted worldwide attention, but now it is facing such a serious siltation problem in the reservoir area, which is really worrying.
However, Lao Zhou also firmly believes that the relevant authorities will take practical and effective measures to solve this problem as soon as possible to ensure that the Three Gorges Dam can continue to contribute to the country's development.
However, Professor Li, a distinguished scholar in the field of engineering, pointed out categorically: "This concern is unfounded! When designing the Three Gorges Dam, we have already conducted in-depth research on the possible sediment sedimentation problems, and carefully constructed a unique sediment discharge system to ensure a delicate dynamic balance between sediment discharge and sedimentation."
Professor Li further elaborated: "More importantly, according to our rigorous simulation calculations, it will take at least about 280 years for the Three Gorges Dam to be completely filled with sediment!
When Lao Zhou heard this, his tense nerves were finally relaxed. He thought to himself that since the experts had already formulated a well-thought-out strategy in advance, the Three Gorges Dam would not repeat the mistake of the Sanmenxia reservoir and be buried by sediment in a short period of time.
However, Lao Zhou is also well aware that although the Three Gorges Dam itself is not easily filled with sediment, the serious siltation problem in the reservoir area cannot be ignored. All parties should remain vigilant and actively take corresponding measures to properly handle the matter.
"We are working hard to address this issue with a variety of measures. Engineer Wang, who is in charge of the operation of the Three Gorges Project, said confidently, "For example, the Three Gorges Reservoir should be appropriately strengthened to discharge sediment to alleviate problems such as downstream riverbed undercutting and riverbank collapse, and at the same time, the monitoring and assessment of siltation in the reservoir area should be strengthened to find a more scientific and efficient treatment plan."
All in all, we firmly believe that we can successfully solve the sediment accumulation problem faced by the Three Gorges Dam without affecting the downstream ecological environment."
After listening to Engineer Wang's introduction, Lao Zhou was full of expectations for the future development of the Three Gorges Dam. He is convinced that as long as the departments concerned always attach great importance to it and take practical and effective measures, the Three Gorges Dam will continue to play its outstanding role in flood control, power generation, shipping, and other fields, and inject new vitality into the mainland's prosperity and development.
However, Lao Zhou also vaguely felt in his heart that the drastic reduction in the amount of sediment discharged from the Three Gorges Reservoir has brought a lot of challenges to the downstream Jingjiang River section.
"Since the completion of the Three Gorges Dam and its excellent storage and regulation function, the flood control safety of the Jingjiang River basin has been greatly improved!" Engineer Wang, who is in charge of the operation of the Three Gorges Water Conservancy Project, confidently explains, "However, in recent years, we have found that with the gradual reduction of the sediment discharge in the Three Gorges reservoir area, the Jingjiang River has been in a state of erosion tension for a long time.
Serious 'convex scouring and dredging' phenomena have gradually emerged, as well as large-scale collapses on both sides of the strait.
He further said that statistics show that between 2002 and 2013, the average annual rate of collapse of the lower Jingjiang River was as high as a staggering 15 meters, resulting in the collapse of 29 kilometers of the river's bank line in just 11 years.
What is even more shocking is that some sections of the river have even been washed out of 'deep pits' with a depth of nearly 20 meters.
"This undoubtedly has an extremely negative impact on the original trend of the river and the frequency of the main swing. Engineer Wang pointed out worriedly, "If this problem is not effectively controlled for a long time, it will certainly pose a serious threat to the production and living safety of the broad masses of people along the coast."
Hearing this, Lao Zhou couldn't help but be deeply worried about the residents of the lower reaches of the Jing River. He thought to himself that if the Three Gorges Dam discharged too much sediment, it could lead to blockage of the river downstream, but now that the amount of sediment discharged is too small, it will cause serious damage to the riverbed and shoreline, which is a real dilemma.
"Faced with this problem, we have begun to adopt a series of countermeasures. "For example, the sediment discharge rate of the Three Gorges Reservoir should be appropriately increased to alleviate the impact of unbalanced scouring and silting downstream."
At the same time, we are also actively exploring other long-term solutions, hoping to effectively control the siltation problem in the reservoir area without causing too much disturbance to the downstream ecological environment."
After hearing this, Lao Zhou nodded with satisfaction, and felt a little more confident in his heart. He firmly believes that as long as the relevant departments take scientific, rational and effective measures, they will be able to find the best balance between controlling sediment accumulation in the Three Gorges Reservoir area and protecting the downstream ecological environment.
On the way home, Lao Zhouyi pondered the many challenges facing the Three Gorges Dam. Although in recent years, this important instrument of the country has made brilliant achievements in many fields such as flood control, power generation, and fishery, but the increasingly serious problem of sediment accumulation in the reservoir area has always troubled relevant departments, experts and scholars.
"In order to fundamentally solve this serious problem, we must implement a series of comprehensive and effective comprehensive management strategies!" Professor Li, who is in charge of the design of the Three Gorges Project, said passionately, "The first task is to strictly control the amount of sediment coming from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, for example, by building sand dams on the main stream of the Yangtze River and its major tributaries, so as to intercept and reduce the concentration of sediment flowing into the Three Gorges Reservoir area."
In addition, we need to continuously optimize the allocation plan and moderately increase the amount of sediment discharged from the Three Gorges Reservoir to effectively alleviate the pressure caused by the imbalance of erosion and siltation in the downstream rivers.
Engineer Wang, who is responsible for the operation and management of the Three Gorges Project, added: "We will continue to increase investment in the protection of the Three Gorges Dam itself to ensure that it will maintain a safe and stable operation in the long term."
At the same time, we will also actively promote the construction of the Yangtze River Ecological Corridor, and further strengthen the ecological service function of the Three Gorges Project by expanding the area of wetlands and restoring riparian forest belts.
Hearing the in-depth analysis of the two experts' future coping strategies, Lao Zhou couldn't help but be happy. He is convinced that as long as all parties work closely together, the Three Gorges Dam will be able to solve the current serious problem of sediment accumulation, and at the same time continue to give full play to its irreplaceable advantages in flood control, power generation, shipping and other fields, and make greater contributions to the prosperity and strength of the country.
"The Three Gorges Dam is a shining monument in the history of contemporary water conservancy construction in mainland China, leading the trend of industry development in terms of technological innovation and ecological protection.
Secretary Huang, who is in charge of the Three Gorges Project, said with respect, "It is not only a magnificent project, but also the perfect crystallization of the wisdom and strength of our Chinese nation.
Hearing these encouraging words, Lao Zhou was full of emotion. He is well aware that as long as the whole society is united, the Three Gorges Dam will successfully overcome the current predicament and write a more brilliant new chapter.