Tiger Leaping Gorge unlikely to be dammed
The famous Tiger Leaping Gorge in Yunnan province is expected to be excluded from a massive dam project on the Jinsha River, the water resources minister says.
'It is fairly possible that no dam project will ever be built there,' said Wang Shucheng when asked about the prospect of the controversial proposal of damming the gorge, a world natural and cultural heritage site.
His remarks were the first official words in years echoing a green campaign that called for the scrapping of the much-criticised project, which sparked an international outcry and would have featured a 276-metre-high dam.
The Tiger Leaping Gorge was supposed to be part of an eight-dam project along the Jinsha's middle reaches. The project would have relocated up to 90,000 residents, mostly poor farmers from ethnic minorities, and generated 88.3 billion kW of power a year.
Supporters - including the provincial government and the Huaneng Group, headed by Li Xiaopeng , the son of former premier Li Peng - said the Tiger Leaping Gorge dam along with other dams on the river would be needed to meet a water supply scheme for Kunming and the country's ever-growing energy demands.
Local villagers and mainland and overseas environmental activists have argued that a dam would not only devastate the spectacular scenery, but also deprive thousands of farmers of their livelihoods.
'The key [to the damming of the Tiger Leaping Gorge] is that it will incur irreparable damage to the pristine environment, as well as to the unique history and culture of the ethnic minorities, despite the argument that a dam at the site would have very promising economic returns,' Mr Wang said.
'I can tell you as a hydropower expert [rather than a minister] that the proposed dam will not be built.'
He likened the debate over the gorge to one on a now-defunct proposal to dam the Yellow River at Hukou to quench Shaanxi's thirst for water and energy.
'I was opposed to that hydropower proposal because the famed Hukou waterfall is already a symbol of the Chinese nation, and it needs better protection as the country grows,' Mr Wang said.
The government has remained ambiguous on the fate of the Tiger Leaping Gorge site since the State Council ordered an investigation in 2004 into allegations construction started without Beijing's approval.
'When asked to comment, we usually stick to the statement that the development of the Tiger Leaping Gorge has been put on hold for the moment and let's wait and see,' Mr Wang said. 'It is a rather flexible approach, which leaves possible problems behind.'
