In 2009, when the Three Gorges Dam was completed over China’s Yangtze River, it was dubbed “the biggest project since the Great Wall.” At one and a half miles wide and a soaring 600 feet high, the project stirred great international scrutiny. This year, Belo Monte Dam, Brazil’s great hydroelectric dam project in the Amazon is set to become the third largest hydroelectric dam in the world, a title not everyone is happy about. Compare the numbers of these two monumental projects, and what you find might surprise you.
Three Gorges Dam: China |
Belo Monte Dam: Brazil |
VITAL STATISTICS |
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| 7,661 – The length, in feet of the Three Gorges Dam | 20,499 ft – Length of the largest dam in Belo Monte complex |
| 26 billion – Cost, in US dollars, to construct the Three Gorges Dam | 17 billion – Projected cost, in US dollars, to construct the Belo Monte Dam |
MOTIVATION |
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| 215 – Amount of devastating floods on the Yangtze River over the last 2,000 years. Three Gorges Dam was primarily built to better control these floods. | 30 – Percentage of power that will come from the Belo Monte Dam project to be used to power mining projects in the Amazon Rainforest. |
POWER |
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| 20,3000 – Megawatts of power the Three Gorges Dam generates, the equivalent of 5 Hoover Dams | 11,233 – Megawatts of power to be generated by the Belo Monte Dam, or about 2.75 Hoover Dams |
IMPACT |
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| 632 – Area, in kilometers squared, of land flooded by the Three Gorges Dam | 640 – Area, in sq kilometers, of land that will be flooded by Belo Monte |
| 1.2 million – Number of displaced people from flooding created by Three Gorges | 20,000 – The number of people who will be displaced by the Belo Monte Dam |
| 4 million – People to be displaced by 2020 due to soil erosion from Three Gorges | 0 – The public plans available to determine the fate of the relocatees in Brazil |
| 50 – The monthly stipend, in Chinese yuan (approx. $7), the government to relocatees | 40,000- The number of jobs likely to be created by the Belo Monte Dam |
DOMINO EFFECT |
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| 100 million tons – The amount of greenhouse gases saved each year by the Three Gorges Dam, which replaces coal-generated power. | 0 – Greenhouse gases to be saved by Belo Monte Dam, since no coal-generated powerplants will be shut down due to the creation of the dam |
—MARK LUKACH is a researcher at MYOO and a freelance writer based in San Francisco. Follow him at his website and on Twitter @marklukach.
I must say this is a big dam! i use to live on 250 acres of land i have been too hoover dam, use too tie a rope around me and jump in effects sucks you down! into river too view structure came across many monster cat fish! dam water very clear, also areas around the dam , 640sq kilo wape out a forest!, i dont like the word fate of the people, hopefully they will get settlements health care, educations in the work place, train and pay, notice mining! i had that feeling to the start that mining had also something to do with this, jobs for people look good, haft too say if they really wanted too stop this, it should of been right from the start, had many years to do so!, hope the outcome will come too a balance now, i always share a story of things that relate too topics that i comment on, due too i like too let people know i have some experance being around on adventure and seeing with my own eyes, i feel for everyone, Good statics mark.
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