The article was written in Chinese, and translated into English by UPI:

http://www.upiasiaonline.com/Economics/2007/12/05/commentary_the_tragedy_of_the_three_gorges_dam/3564/

Commentary:

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Dec. 5

CHEN WEIJIAN

Guest Commentary

    Since the Three Gorges Dam went into operation in China, it has caused serious erosion, landslides and earth tremors that have caused cracks in the homes of local farmers. These pose a grave danger not only to transport through the waterway but also to the livelihoods and even the lives of local residents. 

    Authorities are trying to cover up the real situation while quietly preparing an early warning system for landslides and other accidents. They do not admit that a serious mistake has been made and it is too late to correct it.

    In Hubei province, where the main dam site is located, a recent landslide near a tunnel in Badong county killed two people and injured one, with another two reported missing. Three days later, a seriously damaged bus was discovered under rubble on the road, with 28 dead inside, according to Chinese media. It is believed that the bus, which had departed from Shanghai, just happened to pass that spot at the time of the landslide and was buried under giant boulders. 

    Why was the bus discovered only three days after the accident? Someone had seen the tail end of the bus, which was mostly buried in the landslide, said the media. The witness was named and gave a convincing description of the bus. However, the authorities said at the time that they had received no such report. Obviously the authorities wanted to cover up this serious accident, for it was not simply a car accident, but had a direct connection with the mistakes of the Three Gorges Dam project.

    This was not the first landslide in Badong county. In June, a huge avalanche swept down a hillside and carried away 15 buildings in Qingtaiping township. The landslide dislodged some 5 million cubic meters of soil and dumped it in the Qing River, sending 30-meter waves crashing toward the opposite shore. Two-thirds of the waterway was blocked and 12 people were missing. Such successive landslides have kept the Chinese Communist Party leadership on the hot seat. 

    Such disasters, predicted long ago by opponents of the Three Gorges project, are now becoming reality. The Party leaders, with their proclivity for boasting and showing off their great projects, ignored all warnings and went ahead with the dam; now they can do nothing but regret their hasty decisions. Thus the leadership is trying to cover up such accidents. 

    However, such a terrible thing as the loss of 28 people's lives cannot be kept secret. When the family members of those bus passengers began to seek their loved ones, the truth could no longer be kept hidden. Three days later, the media confirmed their deaths. 

    According to well-known environmentalist and writer Dai Qing, the Three Gorges Dam project is one of the Chinese leaders' biggest regrets. It not only spent a huge amount of capital, but also cast a long shadow that cannot be removed. The dam is like a giant powder keg that could explode at any time. 

    Successive accidents have occurred since the dam went into operation, many caused by design faults, such as the cracks that have developed in the main structure. The project has brought changes in the local ecology and climate, landslides, disturbances to water transport, silt accumulation and serious water pollution. It has forced the relocation of several waves of local residents. 

    Statistics show that there have been more than 1,500 landslides and more than 2,300 earth tremors from 2003 to 2006. With the rising water level, more water pressure will lead to more seeping from the mountains, and the result will be much worse. 

    The Chinese government has spent 12 billion yuan (US$1.6 billion) on fortifying the earth against landslides. Nevertheless, after the earth has been shifted, it can be said that every corner in this huge neighborhood of the Three Gorges Dam is a location for a possible landslide. The lives of those dwelling in Badong are in great danger, and this cannot be solved easily by throwing money at the problem. 

    The most famous water conservancy expert in China, the late Huang Wanli, who was a professor at Qinghua University in Beijing, once asked the central government to allow him 30 minutes to illustrate why the Three Gorges Dam was not a workable project. But the government sacrificed its principles to its interest, and the 30 minutes were never granted. The professor took his worries to his grave.

    Although the project's mistakes are fundamental, intrinsic and irreparable, the CCP leadership is still defending its position. A few days ago the State Council official in charge of the Three Gorges project, Kuang Xiao, surprisingly stated that no major geological damage had been done and no fatal accidents caused as a result of the dam. He said this in spite of the recent deaths in Badong.

    Whenever overseas media have voiced concerns over the dam, the CCP has described this as distortion and bedeviling of the project. The elderly academician Pan Jiazheng, who has an engineering background, defended the project with an emotional appeal, not a scientific one. "The Three Gorges Dam project has required all my energy in the second half of my life, and I feel horrible hearing people describe it as a devil, a time bomb and even a huge ton of soy sauce," he said.

    This kind of self-deceiving and sensational expression in fact reveals the CCP's anxiety over the project, as well as its attempt to avoid taking responsibility for its problems.

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    (Chen Weijian is editor-in-chief of the Chinese newspaper "Xin Bao" in New Zealand, and a well-known critic of current affairs. He emigrated from China to New Zealand in 1991. This article is edited and translated from the Chinese by UPI Asia Online; the original can be found at http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/pubvp/2007/11/200711300900.shtml. cCopyright Chen Weijian.)