Latest comments posted about The high price of developing dams on ChinaDialogue en-gb http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/2707-The-high-price-of-developing-dams http://staging.chinadialogue.net/images/cdlogo.gif http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/2707-The-high-price-of-developing-dams No matter what kinds of comments one posts, the comments should be based on fact. If you are not a professional in this industry, you should not make presumptuous comments based on rumours. First of all, there is a lot of work that needs to be done before a power-station can be built. Such work may include clearing the way for construction and conducting geo-technical investigations. These jobs are carried out on different sites, which may lead people to think that the project has started, where in actual fact it hasn't. Secondly, I myself work in the above-mentioned power-station. Our environmental evaluation has been conducted and approved by the National Environmental Appraisal Committee in 2007. Who would dare to ignore these matters? Mon, 23 Mar 2009 01:18:02 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/2707#comment-8565 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/2707#comment-8565 The subject of this article is how to consider the issue of increasing hydropower development as well as the assessment of its environmental impact. As global development proceeds, it poses the question of how to coordinate the relationship between environment and economy. I agree with the limited development position and believe that development should aim at effective environmental protection. As such, how to deal with environmental impact assessment is a technical issue that should not be exaggerated. Together experts should consider solutions toward to the effective implementation of hydropower. We lack the qualifications, technical skills and political understanding to speak of such international issues and water allocation. Mon, 16 Feb 2009 21:48:16 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/2707#comment-8351 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/2707#comment-8351 Comrades, ah! Can we be more realistic? How can Hydropower Environmental Impact Assessments stop these occurrences. Is it only for economic reasons that we repair hydropower stations? Don't central decision-makers know the immense value of the ecological environment in these place? So why don't they stop building hydropower stations? These are international rivers, and hydropower station construction upstream will greatly influence the lower reaches. No matter whether in China or in other countries, all actions must adhere to political demands. It is thought that hydropower station leaders should be saying, "We must overcome all difficulties, bear hardships and work hard, and not fear sacrifice!" So of course, they think nothing of landslides and falling debris.(However, the US leaders will vigorously maintain that the Sanjiangyuan river area should not be developed). If we want to solve the hydropower problem of the western mountain area we should look at it from a political point of view, such as how mediation from the UN or US can allow China and Indochina Peninsula countries to sign water-sharing agreements. Otherwise, there is nothing worth discussing! Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:08:07 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/2707#comment-8314 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/2707#comment-8314 Most Chinese people, especially intellectuals (mainly Han people), live to the southeast of the Hei River-Tengchong line. They turn a blind eye to beautiful rivers, eg. the Nujiang and the Lantsang,(and of course, the Heilongjiang), let alone love and cherish them. In their eyes, the west of China is desert and wilderness. They look upon it as the Great Northern Wilderness, which is not fit to live in. Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:50:44 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/2707#comment-8316 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/2707#comment-8316 Another article from Mr. Jiang. I appreciated very much the appeal in this article. According to the Environment Evaluation Law, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) should be applied to any construction project. The purpose of EIA is to estimate and evaluate the possible impact of this construction on the environment, and to use this evaluation as the feasibility checkpoint. The environment issue is actually an economic and social development issue. What we should investigate thoroughly is why they don’t conduct the EIA. This is what the scholars should focus on. From my point of view, if the EIA and its relative feedback is only a procedure to abandon some projects, then the project constructor may take the risk to start the construction without approval; but if the EIA is a part of overall project evaluation and required by the law, how can they skip this part? The limitations of current EIA include: first, it is used as one of the political tools to abandon projects; second, those who manage the evaluation have made this work and its technology unnecessarily complicated. Regarding the latter limitation, Mr. Jiang, please read any EIA report and you will find what the relevant authorities should focus on. Third, the EIA report will be either weak or unclear. They need to be subjective, concise, and qualitative as well as quantitative. And this weak or unclear report makes the approval even more difficult, which leads to a vicious circle. My suggestion, if Mr. Jiang can read carefully the environment part of basic Dam EIA, and skim through the rest of the EIA, maybe he can write something to improve current situation of Dam EIA. An appeal may push the Environment Protection Authorities to make EIA a simple procedure or even allow construction before approval, but just an appeal may not really work. The comment was translated by Fangfang CHEN Sat, 31 Jan 2009 22:41:59 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/2707#comment-8253 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/2707#comment-8253 I obtained a graduate diploma of Environmental Management and Development,have learned a lot about EIA process. Wrote an essay about cultural preservation related to Nujiang hydrapower project....sadly to see that everything is the same in China. What is the real problem? I can't see any enforcement of Environmental Law in those dam (damn...) projects. I am not a professional in this area, so can not point my fingure on this issue, but I am sad to see that for the majority's sake, the minority has to sacrifice... Anybody answer my question? What is the real issue? EIA isn't a new thing, sustainability means long term benefit for everybody and next generation... Thu, 29 Jan 2009 05:14:22 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/2707#comment-8250 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/2707#comment-8250 What shall we do? what is the role EIA played during the hydropower projects? Is it powerless or foolish? Could the EIAs alleviate environmental impact hydropower projects made? Besides, the reformers and the developer have little understanding of such concepts as ecosystems and biodiversity. Sun, 25 Jan 2009 03:50:59 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/2707#comment-8234 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/2707#comment-8234