Three Gorges Dam

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We arrived in Yichang, early morning as usual - Irene grabbed a taxi man told him to bring us to a travel agency - wait while we booked our tour and then bring us to flight centre and then on to our hotel. We went out and about in Yichang that evening…had nice dinner etc. Seemed that we were living in the Harlem end of Yichang so we felt a low key presence would be good. We found our way to the travel agency the next day and boarded our tour to the Three Gorges Dam. We had the bus to ourselves and our food for a while but it unfortunately filled up so we had to sit beside each other. We did however make friends with this Aussie couple and their Chinese tour guide which turned out to be quite useful and informative! Course we ruined our reputation as savvy travellers when they asked us what hotel we were staying in and all we could do was shrug, but quickly add we know where it is though! They ended up writing their address out for us and told us to come to dinner when we got to Sydney, how nice! Our hotel was actually one of those that is only for Chinese nationals therefore every time we went in or out they looked at us funny or tried to stop us going upstairs!
The Three Gorges Dam, a 17--year, US$70 billion operation will displace over one million people by gradually flooding the 640-kilometre(397-mile) long reservoir.
The dam is located near the mouth of the lowest of the Three Gorges, where the current was divided in two by an island.
Two reasons have been touted for the creation of the Three Gorges Dam and the destruction of so much - the creating of electricity, and the ending of frequently disastrous flooding of cities and farmland along the Yangtze.
The final effect of the dam on river control is disputed. For more than 600 kilometres (372 miles) upstream the Yangtze will become more lake than river, but many experts argue that a slower flow rate will lead to an even more rapid build-up of silt, especially against the dam itself, causing floods to flow over the top of it. Some say more effective flood control would be provided by replacing the more than 800 lakes, vital for storing and dispersing flood waters, which have disappeared beneath unchecked urban expansion. Despite impressive forecasts for electricity generation, some argue that a series of smaller dams would have been more cost--effective, less dangerous and more productive.

Compensation of 40 billion Yuan (about US$4.82 billion) has been allocated for those forced to move--as much as 3000 Yuan per head in some small towns where average annual incomes are as little as 1500 Yuan (US$180). Nevertheless the forced reloction of so many people is frowned upon by many and is also way behind schedule.

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