Hwa Chong Institution
Sec 2 Geography 2014
Alternative Energy
Exercise 11: Hydroelectric Power
Name: ______________________________ (
)
Date: _____________
Class: ______
Answer all questions on foolscap.
1. Study Fig. 1 which shows the map of the Three Gorges Dam in China.
Fig. 1
(Source: GeoActive Online, Article 383)
(a) Explain the purpose of the Three Gorges Dam project
 Reduce flooding
 For centuries, Yangtze has been flooded, causing over 300 000 deaths during the
20th century alone
 To control the flooding to minimize loss of lives and properties
 Improve navigation for shipping
 With the dam controlling the water flow, the project allows more and larger ships to
navigate further upstream
 To open up new areas for economic development
 To generate hydroelectric power
 To harness the renewable resource
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 Generates up to 18000 megawatt of electricity
 to provide 10% of China’s electricity needs and
 help reduce its dependency on coal.
(b) With reference to Fig. 1 and your readings, discuss the controversies of the construction
of the Three Gorges Dam.
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 Many people have not been compensated.
 At least 1.4 million people were forcibly moved from their homes to accommodate the
dam, reservoir and power stations. Those displaced were promised compensation for
their losses, plus new homes and jobs.
 These people have moved from a very fertile land to a less desirable place
 funds set aside for compensation has been taken by corrupt local officials
 The money has been used to pay debts, provide wages for staff who don’t exist and
given to people not affected by the development.
 The reservoir has also flooded fertile agricultural land
 and over 8,000 historical sites and monuments, including the famous Zhang Fei
temple.
 A further problem concerns the location of the dam in a tectonically active region,
where earthquakes and landslides are common.
 any earth movement close to the dam and reservoir could have disastrous results.
 During the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, economic growth in China has
been far more rapid than predicted.
 The resulting increase in demand for energy means that it is unlikely to provide the
10% of electricity originally estimated,
 meaning that China will continue to rely on coal to produce most of the electricity it
needs.
 The dam prevents the flood downstream, thus affecting the fertility of the soil along its
course
 Extinction of rare Chinese river dolphin – Yangtze dam and increase ship traffic to
blame