The hydroelectric dam currently produces about 0.54 Twh of electricity daily, sufficient to supply 5.4 million households with power for one month.
Besides providing energy, the Chinese government emphasized that the Three Gorges Dam was vital in preventing frequent and destructive floods across low-lying regions.
However, approximately 1.5 million residents had to relocate as 13 cities and 140 towns were submerged to make way for this massive undertaking. Now, the nation is considering an even more extensive hydro dam on the Yarlung Zangbo River, potentially tripling the power of the Three Gorges Dam.
This proposal has raised concerns among environmental experts, especially when considering the profound impact the existing dam has already had on the Earth…
The US space agency expressed apprehensions about various issues, including disease, pollution, landslides, and seismic activity.
NASA noted on its Earth Observatory website: “The epic scale of the dam project is matched by the level of controversy it continues to generate.
“Concerns about major environmental impacts, the relocation of 1.2 million people, and the flooding of 13 cities, more than 1300 villages, archeological locations, and hazardous waste dumps were raised throughout the planning and implementation.
“Environmental concerns include increased seismicity from the loading of the water, landslides, changed ecosystems, accumulated pollution, increased chances for waterborne diseases, and salinity changes in the Yangtze estuary.”
Beyond these issues, the dam has also influenced the Earth’s rotational dynamics as it moves through space.
NASA explained that significant alterations in mass distribution on Earth can slightly affect how the planet spins, impacting its inertia.
Dr. Benjamin Fong Chao, a geophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, highlighted the dam’s capacity to hold 40 cubic kilometers of water.
This quantity is equivalent to 10 trillion gallons of water, akin to the mass displacement seen in the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, which was measured at 9.1 on the Richter scale.
NASA noted that the earthquake reduced the length of the day by 2.68 microseconds.
In contrast, the space agency states that when the Three Gorges Dam reaches its maximum capacity, it introduces a slight resistance to Earth’s rotation, thereby extending the day.
Dr. Chao’s calculations suggest it would lengthen the day by 0.06 microseconds and shift Earth’s pole position by approximately two centimeters.
Although these changes are minimal—and can occur naturally—this serves as a reminder of the potential impact of our activities on the planet…