An aerial view of the 185m-high Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River, which would be dwarfed by the planned Shuangjiangkou hydropower project on the Dadu River. Photograph: Reuters
Eugene K. Chow, National Interest: China Is Weaponizing Water
Hidden in plain sight is an intimidating Chinese weapon that allows it to hold a quarter of the world’s population hostage without firing a single shot. While much attention has been given to the nation’s fearsome new military hardware, a formidable component in its arsenal has largely escaped notice: dams.
With more than 87,000 dams and control of the Tibetan plateau, the source of ten major rivers which 2 billion people depend on, China possesses a weapon of mass destruction. With the flip of a switch, the Middle Kingdom can release hundreds of millions of gallons of water from its mega dams, causing catastrophic floods that would reshape entire ecosystems in countries downstream.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: China is one of the worst managers of water in the world .... if not the worst one. I have seen first hand since the mid-1980s on how China treats its rivers (pollution, deforestation resulting in erosion that ends up in the waterways, lake management, and God only knows what they have done to their ground water). Because of geography they also control the waterways that feed southwest and southeast Asia .... and yes .... there is no doubt in my mind that they will use it to squeeze their neighbours for political concessions .... or simply keep the water if they need it.
No comments:
Post a Comment