The three Gorges Dam of China took 150 years to be build on the Yangtze river. This included 70 years of dreaming, 50 years of designing and 30 years of argumentation. Thus more than a century lapsed before the dam, which is the largest structure in the world, was finally built. It produces 18200 MW of power and irrigates 30 per cent crops in China. The safety features include safeguard against nuclear attack by emptying the dam in an emergency, to divert the water in a separate channel, to mitigate the effect of collapse of the dam.
In 1956 Chairman Mao wrote a famous poem that describes the splendid blue print of the three Gorges Dams for the first time. The large scale ship-lock and ship-lift can be compared to an elevator for navigation purposes. This is also the most effective project in flood control which is a marvel of the world. The hydroelectric plant is biggest in the world. It shows how a gigantic project can be built by unified will power of a nation.
DR. MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI,
Lahore, June 28.