Beijing suspends plan for large dam

Jim Yardley / The New York TimesThursday, April 8, 2004 In surprise move, Wen cites concern for environmentBEIJING Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has unexpectedly suspended plans fora massive dam system on the Nu River in western China that scientistshave warned could ruin one of the country's last unspoiled places, accordingto Chinese media reports and environmentalists informed of the decision. Wen's intervention signals that China's top leaders have not approved aplan that most opponents had considered a fait accompli. His personal involvement is a rare and surprising response in anondemocratic government that in the past has shown little concernabout the environmental impact of major public works projects. In a written instruction handed down to a key government ministry, Wenordered officials to conduct a major review of the hydropower project,which calls for a 13-stage dam. Environmentalists consider the Nu oneof the last pristine rivers in Asia. Its upper reaches flow through acanyon region so rich in biodiversity that a United Nations agency last yeardeclared it a World Heritage Site. "We should carefully consider and make a scientific decision aboutmajor hydro-electric projects like this that have aroused a high level ofconcern in society, and with which the environmental protection sidedisagrees," Wen wrote, according to the Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao. Elated environmentalists praised the decision, expressing surprise andalso hope that the move reflects a growing environmental awareness by thegovernment. China is widely regarded as one of the world's mostpolluted countries. "I was very surprised to hear the news that the prime minister himselfsent down an instruction suspending the project," said He Daming, aprofessor at Yunnan University who helped lead opposition to the project. "I don'tthink I've ever heard of anything like this ever happening before." Environmentalists cautioned that the dam project could still eventuallygo forward in some form. Construction had been scheduled to begin thisyear on the first dam at the city of Liuku. But Wen's instructions make itclear that environmental objections, which were largely steamrolled before,must be given serious consideration. "He wants to hear more opinions and gather more views, especially fromthe conservation side that has been left out," said Qian Jie, deputydirector of the Center for Biodiversity and Indigenous Knowledge, a Chineseenvironmental group. "I think at the least it sends a signal that our leaders care about theenvironment and about social development, and not just about theeconomy." The project has been advocated by officials in Yunnan Province, wherethe river flows on a path just inside China's border with Myanmar. Yunnanofficials predicted that it would help provide jobs and raise incomesin one of China's poorest regions. Advocates have also argued that the dams were critical at a time whenChina is suffering energy shortages and sporadic electricity blackouts incertain areas. Opposition from Chinese scientists and environmentalists begancoalescing last year. In a surprisingly public rift within the government, theState Environmental Protection Agency, the country's leading environmentalagency, announced its opposition to the project. The Chinese Academy ofSciences also warned that the plan could cause enormous damage. In recent weeks, a consortium of international groups came out againstthe plan and wrote a formal letter of opposition to President Hu Jintao ofChina. The social costs of the project also brought opposition. An estimated50,000 people would have to be relocated. Most are ethnic minoritieswho farm and herd animals in the isolated mountains above the river. Formany, the promise of urban jobs at a time of rising unemployment rang hollow,since most people have little education. China's Communist government has a longstanding and atrocious record onthe environment. Pollution levels for water and air are among the worst inthe world. Recently, though, Wen has spoken about the need to emphasizeenvironmental protection. "This gives us some hope that the river can be saved," said Qian.