Top Down Project: Three Gorges Dam

Question 1

Where is the three gorges dam?

Answer 1

Is in China on the Yangtze River

Question 2

Why was the three gorges dam built?

Answer 2

Built to replace a coal power station, because it created 50 million tonnes of coal polluting the air

Question 3

What are the social benefits to the three gorges dam?

Answer 3

-200 million people protected from floods

Question 4

What are the environmental benefits to the three gorges dam?

Answer 4

• environmentally friendly because it produces renewable energy
• replacing coal power stations which produce lots of fossil fuels

Question 5

What are the economic benefits to the three gorges dam?

Answer 5

• shipping easier and safer

- flood damage costs less

Question 6

What are the social problems to the three gorges dam?

Answer 6

• locals lost their home and farmland
• million’s of people affected if the dam was to burst
• many people homeless due to the dam
• led to the resettlement of 1.2 million people
• fishermen ordered to leave and now can’t make a living

Question 7

What are the environmental problems to the three gorges dam?

Answer 7

• increase in landslides
• sewage being trapped by the dam
• Chinese river dolphin at the threat of extinction
• species like the white river dolphin will have their habitats disrupted

Question 8

What are the economic problems to the three gorges dam?

Answer 8

• 1000 historical sites lost
• $22.5 billion USD
• cultural monuments have been lost including the Zhang Fei Temple

Question 9

What type of dam is the three gorges dam?

Answer 9

Hydroelectric gravity dam

Question 10

How many were killed building the dam?

Answer 10

100

Question 11

What are the longer term effects of the three gorges dam?

Answer 11

• extinction of the Chinese river dolphin
• 1000 historical sites lost
• cultural monuments have been lost including the Zhang Fei Temple