Geog Project
-Cheung Sam Chin(3)Eddie
-Chiang Kwok
Leung(4)Emmanuel
-Ng Chi Hang(12)Tommy
-Yuen Ngai Yan(33)Emily
Geographical Background of
Chang Jiang
Geographical Background of
Chang Jiang
 China has over 50 000 rivers. The total flow is over
2 600 000 million m3 .The Chang Jiang and the
Huang He are the two longest rives in China.
 The Chang Jiang originates at an elevation higher
than 5500 m and flows through 11 administrative
regions in to the East China Sea.
 With a total length of 6300 km, the Chang Jiang is
the longest rive in China. It has a drainage area of
1.8 million km2.
Physical Division of Chang
Jiang
Physical Division of Chang
Jiang
 The upper course : It extends from the source to
Yichang in Hubei, and it has a length of 4512km.Here
the Chang Jiang flows along the Qingzand
Gaoyuan ,Yungui Gaoyuan and Sichuan Pendi. The
channel slope is steep. Its volume increases as it
receives water from the tributaries.
 The middle course : It extends from Yichang to
Hukou in Jiangxi. It has a length of 983km. Here the
channel slope is gentler. It is fed by the water from the
Han Shui, the Dongting Hu and the Boyang Hu
systems.
Physical Division of Chang
Jiang
 The lower course : It extends from Hukou to
its mouth .It has a length of 850km. It is
almost at the sea level.
How do Chang Jiang benefit
human activities?
 Rivers provide water for our consumption.
Agriculture is the dominant consumer of China’s
water resources. Rivers also provide water for
residential and industrial uses.
 As the cheapest means of transportation, river
transport is important for moving goods and
people. The Chang Jiang provides 70% of the
country’s annual water transits of both freight
and passengers.
How do Chang Jiang benefit
human activities
 Hydro-electric power uses the running
water to produce electricity. Rivers,
especially in their upper course. And great
potential for H.E.P. generation. In the Chang
Jiang Basin , over 20 000 H.E.P. stations of
varying scale have been built .
How do Chang Jiang benefit
human activities?
 Aquatic products of rivers can be sold for profit.
The Chang Jiang can also provide money from
tourism.
 Rivers and lakes are breeding grounds for
various freshwater aquatic products which
provide people with an important source of protein
and added variety in our diet. The Chang Jiang
Basin has high output of naturally grown freshwater
aquatic products.
Causes of flooding in Chang
Jiang (natural factors)
 Water melted form snow in spring , heavy monsoon
rain in summer and prolonged rainfall brought by
extreme weather conditions cause flood in the
Chang Jiang.
 The Chang Jiang obtains heavy load from mass
wasting and soil erosion in the upper course.
Deposition that has taken place downslopes will
make the gentle channel even shallower, increasing
the risk of flooding.
Causes of flooding in Chang
Jiang (human factors)
 Trees increase interception, and prevent soil
erosion and silting on riverbeds.
Deforestation is the major cause of frequent
flooding in the Chang Jiang Basin.
 Over-cultivation and overgrazing lead to
serious soil erosion, causing a high sediment
content to the Chang Jiang and so increasing
the change of flooding.
The lakes along Chang Jiang
Causes of flooding in Chang
Jiang (human factors)
 Lakes can regulate river flow and relieve
silting of the river. The reclaiming of the
major takes along the Chang Jiang has
directly led to the flood problem.
 Many dykes and dams along the Chang Jiang
are either old or needing maintenance.
Causes of flooding in Chang
Jiang
 Urbanization increases the rate of
deforestation and reclamation of lakes.
Besides, more areas of are covered by
impervious concrete. There are also more
buildings. All these increase the surface
runoff. The risk of flooding becomes higher.
Background of the Three
Gorges Project
Background of the Three
Gorges Project
 It is a large-scale water project constructed to
achieve a number of aims. Flood control is usually
the primary objective in the long run.
 In 1993, the Chinese government started the Three
Gorges Project. The core of the project is
constructing the Three Gorges Dam (Sanxia Ba) at
Sangouping in Hubei Province. It aims to prevent
the flood hazard in the middle and lower Chang
Jiang by improving the flood control standard.
Location of Three Gorges
project
Location of Three Gorges
project
Flood control
The arguments the Three
Gorges Project
-Flood control
Pros
1.Regulating the river flow by the dam .
2.huge flood storage capacity of the reservoir
Cons:
1.Possibility of floods on the tributaries
in the upper course
2.Silting of the reservoir
The arguments the Three
Gorges Project
Power generation
Pros
1. Producing a largest
amount of renewable
H.E.P.
Cons
1.high construction cost
2.H.E.P. is not the only
choice
Resettlement of people
The arguments the Three
Gorges Project
Agriculture
Pros:
1.Providing irrigation water by the reservoir
Cons:
1.Flooding of farmlands in the upper course
2.Lowering fertility of farmlands in the lower course
Resettlement
Pros: 15million people will be better off
Cons:1.13million people have to resettled
Local culture and tourism
The arguments the Three
Gorges Project
Local culture and tourism
 Pros:
 removal of historical relics
 new landscape will create new tourist attractions
 Cons:
 ruining of historical sites and the natural scenery
 local tourism will be affected
The arguments the Three
Gorges Project
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Environment
Pros:
creating a new fishing ground by the reservoir
replacing 50million tonnes of raw coal to be burnt
annually by H.E.P.
Cons:
threatening rare and endangered aquatic species
increasing risk of landslides by deforestation
inducing tectonic movement by the weight of the
water
collapse of the dam
Navigation
The arguments the Three
Gorges Project
 Navigation
 Pros:
 faster, cheaper and safer shipping on the
river
 Cons:
 hindering navigation by heavy silting
The South-to-North Water
Transfer Scheme
The South-to-North Water
Transfer Scheme
 Water is an important resource for human
society . To cope with the water shortage
problem in North China, it is neccessary to
transfer water from the south to north.
The South-to-North Water
Transfer Scheme
 Reasons
 The Chang Jiang Basin has abundant water resource.
 Financially, with the rapid economic growth in the
past two decades, there is enough capital for the
Chinese Government to carry out large projects.
 Technologically , the scheme has been subject to
long-term and detailed research
The South-to-North Water
Transfer Scheme
 The South-to-North Water Transfer Scheme,
linking the Chang Jiang with the Huai He,
the Huang He and the Hai He, aims to divert
water from the south of the country to the
drought-striken north. The scheme includes
three water transfer projects:the Western
Water Project, the Middle Water Project and
the Eastern Water Project.
The benefit of the scheme
 The South-to-North Water Transfer Scheme
optimises the distribution of water resources
in China, relieving North China from chronic
water deficit. It also strengthens the flood
control capability of the Chang Jiang and
ensures the navigation of the BeijingHangzhou Grand Canal.
The problems bought by the
scheme
 Decrease in water resource of the Chang
Jiang
 Salinization of quality
 Impact on the water quality
 Impact on aquatic life
 Resettlement of local people
Other measures to deal with the
water problem
 Other measures to deal with water problems
 logging ban
 afforestation
 returning land to lakes. China
 strengthening the flood prevention capacity
of rivers.
Conclusion
 Although the Chinese have done many
measures to deal with the water problems in
Chang Jiang.The water problems are still
exist.The measures can minimize the effect
bought by the problems, but it also bought
another problems to us .So, the Chinese
should put more efforts on solving the water
problems.
THE END