Rush to development demands transparency
Power generation and industrial development go hand in hand as drivers of China's emergence as an economic superpower. Sadly, they are exacting a rising cost to the livelihoods of the people development is supposed to lift out of poverty. The pollution that has swept the mainland from coal-fired power generation and dirty industry is widely known. Not so are the human and environmental costs of harnessing the mainland's great rivers to power more development - the subject of a series of reports we continue publishing today and tomorrow.
Xiaoshaba, a rural village of 400 people on the Nu River in Yunnan province , is an example. To make way for a proposed hydroelectric dam, impoverished villagers have been forced out of their homes without fair compensation. Moving in to take advantage of the economic benefits of the dam project, according to activists, are energy-intensive and heavy-polluting industries that pose a threat to the quality of life. This adds to mounting concerns about the environmental costs of up to 13 dams planned for the Nu River.
Then there are the thousands holding out against relocation and the planned flooding of their homes in Kai County, Chongqing , as part of the Three Gorges Dam project.
China cannot afford to ignore the energy potential of its rivers - nor the human costs of forced resettlement and the impact of exploitation of the environment and water resources. A balance between social cost and benefit demands transparency.
Xiaoshaba again is a case in point. Premier Wen Jiabao halted the dams programme on the Nu River in 2004 amid concerns over compensation and the environment. However, an environmental impact assessment conducted since remains under wraps. Such assessments can be the only effective check on unsustainable development. As such they are prone to be derailed by unholy alliances of greedy, corrupt officials and developers. The National People's Congress next month is due to consider a proposal to merge the State Environmental Protection Administration into a super ministry to focus on the environment. This would be a step towards better protecting the mainland's environment.
