Written by CNN - “In a rare admission, the Chinese government has said the Three Gorges Dam — the world’s largest hydropower plant — is having "urgent problems," warning of environmental, construction and migration "disasters" amid the worst drought to hit southern China in 50 years. China’s State Council, the country’s Cabinet, this week said that while the dam has been beneficial to the region, there has also been a variety of issues since construction began in 1992. "At the same time that the Three Gorges Dam project provides huge comprehensive benefits, urgent problems must be resolved regarding the smooth relocation of residents, ecological protection and geological disaster prevention," the statement said.”
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CNN – China admits Three Gorges Dam has ‘urgent problems’ as drought persists, By Jo Ling Kent, May 25, 2011 –
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/25/china.three.gorges.dam/index.html
The World Bank estimates that forcible “development-induced displacement and resettlement” now affects 10 million people per year. According to the World Bank an estimated 33 million people have been displaced by development projects such as dams, urban development and irrigation canals in India alone.
India is well ahead in this respect. A country with as many as over 3600 large dams within its belt can never be the exceptional case regarding displacement. The number of development induced displacement is higher than the conflict induced displacement in India. According to Bogumil Terminski an estimated more than 10 million people have been displaced by development each year.
Athough the exact number of development-induced displaced people (DIDPs) is difficult to know, estimates are that in the last decade 90–100 million people have been displaced by urban, irrigation and power projects alone, with the number of people displaced by urban development becoming greater than those displaced by large infrastructure projects (such as dams). DIDPs outnumber refugees, with the added problem that their plight is often more concealed.
This is what experts have termed “development-induced displacement.” According to Michael Cernea, a World Bank analyst, the causes of development-induced displacement include water supply (dams, reservoirs, irrigation); urban infrastructure; transportation (roads, highways, canals); energy (mining, power plants, oil exploration and extraction, pipelines); agricultural expansion; parks and forest reserves; and population redistribution schemes.