Since ancient times, the Chinese nation has had the ideological tradition of "controlling water and rejuvenating the country." As the largest river in the mainland, the Yangtze River plays a particularly important role in flood control, power generation, and shipping. However, there is a huge gap between the upper and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, frequent floods, and inconvenient shipping. In order to thoroughly solve these problems, the mainland has proposed and implemented the Three Gorges Project, which has attracted worldwide attention.
In 1993, the Three Gorges Project was officially launched. By 2009, the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest water conservancy hub, was officially completed. Straddling the Yangtze River, the Three Gorges Dam is 185 meters high and about 2.3 kilometers long, making it one of the largest dams in the world today. The dam can play multiple functions such as regulating the water volume of the Yangtze River, generating electricity, and improving shipping conditions, and is known as "an impenetrable steel great wall on the Yangtze River".
The construction process of the Three Gorges Dam has been magnificent, with an investment of up to 248.5 billion yuan, which can be described as a "project through the ages", fully demonstrating the great engineering ability of the Chinese nation that is "unparalleled in the world". While it has been highly praised, the Three Gorges Project has also been controversial.
As early as 1992, nine authoritative experts strongly opposed the Three Gorges Project and raised four concerns that could not be ignored. The first is to damage the ecological environment, the second is to induce earthquake disasters, the third is to face a huge threat of war, and the fourth is to bring unbearable burdens to the national finances.
Despite strong opposition, the Three Gorges Project started construction as scheduled. Fifteen years on, let's see if the fears of nine experts have come true.
First, the Three Gorges Project has indeed had a certain impact on the ecological environment of the Yangtze River. For example, Chinese sturgeons are unable to return to spawn, and the number of rare species has decreased compared to before. However, the impact was not severe, and the Chinese sturgeon gradually learned to spawn downstream, and rare plants and animals were effectively protected. It can be said that the impact of the ecological environment can be controlled and adapted.
Second, the Three Gorges Project did not induce large-scale earthquake disasters as experts predicted. Monitoring shows that the seismic activity after the impoundment is more frequent than before, but the magnitude is below 3-4, which is far less terrible than imagined. The 2008 Wenchuan earthquake also proved unrelated to the Three Gorges Project.
Third, the Three Gorges Project has effectively dealt with the threat of war. The dam is designed with concrete gravity and is extremely strong enough to withstand earthquakes of magnitude 7 or higher. Military defenses are available at key locations and water levels can be flexibly adjusted to withstand a nuclear attack.
Fourth, the resettlement problem of the Three Gorges Project has been properly resolved, and the financial pressure is under control. Solid progress has been made in the resettlement work, and the millions of troops have rebuilt their homes after they have been relocated. After the Three Gorges went public and raised funds, the financial burden was greatly reduced, and the average annual investment accounted for only 1/1000 of GDP, which was completely bearable.
Today, the Three Gorges Project has not only not seen the harm predicted by experts, but has shown tremendous economic and social benefits. It can generate 88.2 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year, saving about 25 billion yuan in fuel costs, and the recovery is just around the corner. The dam has effectively controlled flooding, benefiting hundreds of millions of people in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
The project has improved the conditions of the Yangtze River waterway, and the 10,000-ton ships can go directly to Chongqing, saving about 10 billion yuan in annual transportation costs. It can be said that the Three Gorges Project has long since returned to its roots and has given a satisfactory answer to the state and the people.
The successful construction of the Three Gorges Project has demonstrated to the people of the world the great courage of the Chinese nation to dare to think and do. We must cherish the hard-won great achievement of the Three Gorges Project, and on this basis, we should continue to innovate and forge ahead courageously, and compose a magnificent poem of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with tremendous practical actions!