Underwater Cities & Three Gorges Dam Project

I won't make an argument for or against the dam, but will say that amount of people displaced and the number/size of underwater cities that will result from this project are staggering. Every building under the red/white line in the photo of the city of Fengdu (we visited earlier) will be under water after the river has risen to 175 meters above sea level. But this is just one small town...13 cities, 140 towns, 1352 villages, 657 factories along the upper Yangtze will have the same submerged fate. The Chinese Government have said that 1.4 million people will need to be resettled, but other estimates put that number at four million.

But yes, there are reasons 'for' the dam as well...most importantly, the energy produced, which will be equivalent to 15 nuclear power plants. Late this evening we finally entered the fabled Three Gorges Dam area (world's largest hydroelectric dam) and navigated through the 5-step lock system with a dragon boat and 4 other 'cruise ships'. It was a
surreal experience...something like being in a little toy boat in a bathtub. The size of the project was palpable.

Stats on Three Gorges Dam
Size of dam: 600 feet high, 1.5 miles long
Date of completion: late 2008
Length of project: 17 years
Cost: $28 billion US