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| Environmental
Impact Statement for the Yangtze Three Gorges Project |
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CTGPC
Office Building |
Jointly
by
The Environmental Impact Assessment Department, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, and the Research Institute for Protection of Yangtze Water
Resources
Project Legal Entity
China Yangtze Three Gorges Development Corporation
Responsible Editor: Wu Yintai
Copyright (c) 1995 by Science Press Published by Science Press 16
Donghuangchenggen North Street Beijing 100717, China |
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1.
Introduction |
1.1
History of Research Efforts
The Yangtze Three Gorges Project (hereafter referred to as the Three
Gorges Project or the Project) is located in Xiling Gorge of the Three
Gorges reaches of the Yangtze River mainstream, with the Dam at Sandouping
in Yichang County, Hubei Province, about 40km upstream from the existing
Gezhouba Project. The Three Gorges Project is the backbone project
for the developing and harnessing of the Yangtze River, and it will
result in a great deal of comprehensive benefits, such as effectively
controlling the floods, generating powerful electricity, and improving
the navigation condition. It will also, however, exert far-reaching
and profound impacts on the environment, which has brought ecological
and environmental concerns both at home and abroad. For a long time
in the past, the Changjiang Water Resources Commission (CWRC) [previously
known as the Yangtze Valley Planning Office (YVPO)] of the Ministry
of Water Resources, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and other
associated departments, research institutes, universities and colleges
have done a lot of early stage research works, and proposed a series
of relevant research reports or appraisal on the ecological and environmental
impacts of the Project during the study on the feasibility and the
alternatives for the Project.
As early as in the 1950s, CWRC began to study some of the environmental
issues associated with the Project, such as backwater effects, the
impacts of human activities on runoff, reservoir bank stability, seismology,
sedimentation, biota, reservoir impoundment and resettlement, natural
focal diseases, and endemic diseases in the process of compiling "The
Report on the Key Points of the Yangtze Valley Planning" and
"The Report on the Key Points of the Preliminary Design of the
Three Gorges Project", and the preliminary findings were included.
Meanwhile, some research institutes of the CAS also carried out a
lot of basic studies on geology, geography, climate, hydrology, resources,
environment, humanity, and economy, etc., which also provided an important
basis for further studying the environmental impacts.
Since 1979, the Yangtze - Valley Water Resources Protection Bureau
(YVWRPB) has organized a special team, in cooperation with more than
40 universities and research institutes in China, to carry out special
studies and assessments on the ecological and environmental impacts
of the Project. In 1980, YVWRPB submitted an environmental impact
statement for the 200m normal pool level (NPL) option of the Project,
and soon afterwards implemented the environmental impact assessment
(EIA) of the Project in the feasibility study stage for 150m NPL option.
In March 1983, YVWRPB submitted a report entitled "The Environmental
Impacts of Construction of the Three Gorges Project". |
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Zhongbao
Island, the base of the project at its original scene. It's no longer
existing. |
On
the basis of the previous works, YVWRPB continued to cooperate with
a number of agencies in carrying out monographic studies on water
quality, soil, forest vegetation, rare and endangered flora, economic
flora, wildlife, rare and endangered animal, public health, schistosomiasis,
malaria, etc., and completed "The Environmental Impact Report
for the Three Gorges Project (a 150m NPL option)".
In November 1984, the State Science and Technology Commission (SSTC)
held a working meeting in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, on the scientific
research of the Three Gorges Project, and formally approved "The
Studies on the Environmental Impact of the Three Gorges Project and
Its Countermeasures" as one of the major components of the Project's
scientific research in early stage, and mandated CAS to take charge
of it. Soon afterwards, CAS organized a special team, consisting of
more than 700 scientists and technical personnel, to conduct the study.
The research findings were subsequently proposed in July 1987, then
reviewed by an expert panel appointed by SSTC. These findings were
also published later in the form of monographs, such as "Proceedings
of Studies on the Environmental Impact of the Three Gorges Project",
"Studies on the Environmental Impact of the Three Gorges Project
and Its Countermeasures", and "Atlas of Ecology and Environment
for the Three Gorges Project". In the same year, SSTC and CAS
scheduled this subject into "The Nation's Seventh Five Year Plan",
and considered it as one of the major scientific and technical tasks
to be tackled. About 300 scientific and technical personnel were organized
to conduct the study. Finished in January 1991, the study's findings
were examined and approved by an expert panel appointed by SSTC and
later published by Sciences Press in the form of series of monographs
entitled " The Three Gorges Project and Ecology/ Environment
" (total 8 volumes with about 2.50 million Chinese characters).
In 1985, commissioned by the State Council, the State Planning Commission
and SSTC set up an expert group to implement a further examination
and verification on the NPL options and the environmental impacts
for the 150 to 180m NPL options of the Project were also assessed.
In June 1986, based on the "Circular Concerning the Problems
Related to the Verification of the Three Gorges Project on the Yangtze
River" issued jointly by the Central Committee of the Chinese
Communist Party and the State Council, the Three Gorges Project Verification
Steering Group of the former Ministry of Water Resources and Electric
Power set up an expert panel of ecology and environment, consisting
of 55 experts from various fields related to ecology and environment.
The panel examined the available findings, and organized associated
agencies, including YVWRPB, CAS, etc., to make supplementary investigation
and verification on specific issues. In January 1988, "The Verification
Report on the Environmental Impact of the Three Gorges Project and
Its Countermeasures" was proposed, and its major conclusions
were later incorporated into "The Feasibility Study Report of
the Three Gorges Water Resources Project on the Yangtze River"
compiled by CWRC in May 1989. In March 1991, an expert panel, entrusted
by Reviewing Committee of the State Council for the Three Gorges Project,
pre-reviewed the monograph of ecology and environment and proposed
the panel's comments on the monograph. Then in July, the committee
reviewed and approved the assessment findings in the feasibility study
stage.
As many agencies covering a wide range of disciplines have long been
engaged in the study on the ecological and environmental impact of
the Three Gorges Project, detailed and accurate data and information
have been accumulated, which laid a solid foundation for implementing
the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the Project as well
as for compiling the EIA statement. |
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Left
Bank of Xiling Yangtze Bridge |
1.2
Process of Compilation
Based on the Chinese laws and regulations related to environmental
protection for construction projects, as well as the requirements
of the Three Gorges Project Reviewing Committee of the State Council,
the Environmental Impact Assessment Department (EIAD) of CAS and the
Research Institute for Protection of Yangtze Water Resources ( RIPYWR
) jointly compiled " The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
for the Three Gorges Project on the Yangtze River", namely the
parent report of this brief edition. The process of compiling EIS
is as follows
In September 1991, "The Working Outline for Environmental Impact
Assessment of the Yangtze Three Gorges Project" was compiled
by EIAD/CAS and RIPYWR and submitted to the China National Environmental
Protection Agency ( NEPA) for approval. One month later, an expert
panel appointed by NEPA reviewed the working outline. Then the formal
examination opinion, "Approving in principle the review opinions
of the expert panel and after making necessary revisions and supplements,
the working outline can be used as the basis for compilation of EIS
for the Project", was given by NEPA. |
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Construction
site |
Soon
later, on the basis of the previous working achievements for many
years, the EIAD/CAS and RIPYWR organized dozens of experts who had
long been engaged in the relevant studies, to compile EIS for the
Project successively in Wuhan and Chengdu. In December 1991, EIS for
reviewing was finalized and submitted to the Ministry of Water Resources
(MWR ) for pre-reviewing. In the same month, MWR organized an expert
panel, consisting of nationally well-known experts in the fields of
environment, ecology, hydraulics, economics, etc., some of whom are
the academicians of CAS, to review the submitted EIS. After careful
examination, the panel made their comments on the revision and supplementation
of EIS. Afterwards, following MWR's pre-reviewing comments, EIS was
revised and then formally reported to NEPA for approval. In February
1992, a special team consisting of nationally well-known experts,
professors and scholars was organized by NEPA to review EIS. Based
on reviewing comments given by the team, NEPA formally approved EIS
for the Three Gorges Project.
This brief edition is abstracted from the approved "The Environmental
Impact Statement for the Yangtze Three Gorges Project". Meanwhile,
to keep pace with the progress in the early stage's work on the Three
Gorges Project, as suggested and recommended by the related agencies
and experts, the relevant information used in the brief edition was
quoted from the "Report on Preliminary Design of the Three Gorges
Project on the Yangtze River", which was examined and approved
by the Three Gorges Project Construction Committee of the State Council
in July 1993. |
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Another
world |
1.3
Scope, Hierarchic System, and
Methodology of Assessment
1.3. 1 Scope of assessment
Based on the Project's functions, characteristics, possible flow regime
alteration of the Yangtze River to be caused by the Project, and the
difference of environment in the regions to be affected by the Project,
the scope of assessment was defined and divided as follows
i) The Three Gorges Reservoir Area: Covering the reservoir impounded
area, and the area involving resettlement.
ii) The Middle and Lower Reaches and Vicinity Area: Covering the section
downstream from the dam to Jiangyin in Jiangsu Province, the Dongting
Lake area, the Poyang Lake area, the four-lake area in Hubei Province,
etc. The hydrological regimes in these areas are generally only slightly
altered while it will be greatly changed during the period of reservoir
retaining floods.
iii) The Estuary Area: Covering the section downstream from Jiangyin
in Jiangsu Province to the river mouth and coastal areas, a mixing
area of fresh water and salt water.
Considering the impact of upper basin soil erosion on the siltation
in the reservoir, and the relation between the Project and the construction
of water conservancy works and the shelter forest system in the upper
and middle reaches, as well as the impacts of salinity variation in
the estuary area on the coastal areas, the scope of assessment is
also adequately extended to both the upper-stream basin and the near
shore area.
1.3.2 Hierarchic system of assessment
Based on the characteristics of environmental impact of the Three
Gorges Project and the requirements for prediction and assessment,
the system to be assessed is divided into the following four tiers
in a hierarchy (see Tab. 1-1)
Environmental factors
Environmental components
Environmental sub-systems
Overall environment
1 . 3. 3 Methodology of assessment
The major methods used for the environmental impact assessment of
the Three Gorges Project are as follows
i) Monitoring, field survey, remote sensing, collecting long series
of historical data, etc. , were mainly used for the investigation
of the environmental background.
ii) Quantitative or qualitative prediction methods were used for different
environmental factors depending on their characteristics, variation
extent, as well as the features and regularities of the impacts of
the Project. For measurable factors, mathematics models were applied
to predict the impacts on hydrological regime, precipitation, air
temperature, wind and fog, the impacts of variation in the reservoir's
diffusion capability and reoxygenation capability on water quality,
the impacts on water temperature in the reservoir and downstream the
dam, the impacts on siltation in the reservoir and scouring of the
river courses downstream the dam, the impact on salinity in the estuarine
area, etc. , based on a large amount of data from observation, and
identification of models and parameters.
iii) For factors difficult to be measured, analogy analysis or mechanism
analysis was generally adopted for qualitative analysis. For example,
the possibility of oncomelania diffusion, and the impacts on fishes
and terrestrial vertebrate were analyzed and predicted using an ecological
mechanism analysis; the impact on landscapes was analyzed and predicted
using methods such as qualitative description, computer simulation
for the water level and the landscape pictures.
iv) By comparing the predicted results with relevant standards or
threshold values, the features, magnitude, and significance of the
impacts were analyzed and assessed.
v ) Finally, an assessment was made, and mitigative measures and countermeasures
were recommended for the negative impacts.
1.4 The Laws, Regulations and Agencies Related to Environmental Protection
1 .4. 1 The laws and regulations related to environmental protection
The article 26 of "The Constitution of the People's Republic
of China" states that the nation protects and improves living
environment and ecological environment, prevents pollution and other
public hazards. The nation, following it, has enacted a series of
laws and regulations, which involve specific stipulations for environmental
protection in resources exploitation activities.
The laws and regulations abided by in the environmental impact assessment
of the Project mainly include
Environmental Protection Law of the People's Republic of China;
Water Law of the People's Republic of China;
Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law of the People's Republic
of China;
Land Management Law of the People's Republic of China;
Fishery Law of the People's Republic of China;
Cultural Relics Protection Law of the People's Republic of China;
Forest Law of the People's Republic of China;
Water and Soil Conservation Law of the People's Republic of China;
River Course Management Regulations of the People's Republic of China;
Regulations on the Compensations to
Land Taking-over and Resettlement for Construction of Medium and Large
Scale Hydroelectric Projects;
Management Procedures for Environmental Protection in Construction
Projects. |
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TGP
Expressway |
1
.4.2 Agencies for environmental protection
NEPA is the administrative authority for environmental protection
of the People's Republic of China; while MWR is the water administrative
authority of the People's Republic of China, with the responsibility
on unified management of water resources exploitation, utilization,
and protection
There are also corresponding agencies in each province, autonomous
region or municipality, with their responsibilities for environmental
protection or water management within respective jurisdictions. The
grass-roots agencies of both departments have been established down
to the county level. |
Chapter
2 Objectives and Scenario Alternatives of the Project
Chapter 3 Project Description
Chapter 4 Environmental Background
Chapter 5 Assessment of Impacts on
the Natural Environment
Chapter 6 Assessment of Impacts on
the Social Environment
Chapter 7 Environmental Issues of
Public Concerns
Chapter 8 Public Participation
Chapter 9 environmental and Ecological
Monitoring and Management System
Chapter 10 Funds for Environmental Protection
Chapter 11 Conclusions, Countermeasures
and Suggestions
Postscript
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