What Made China Destroy 300 Dams And Pull The Plug On Its Own Hydropower Stations?

Aug 2, 2025

In a sweeping environmental initiative, China has dismantled 300 of 357 dams and decommissioned 342 out of 373 small hydropower stations on the Chishui He, also known as the Red River, a major tributary of the upper Yangtze River.

The Red River spans over 400 km, cutting across Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan provinces in southwestern China. The changes, implemented as part of a restoration drive that began in 2020, were reported by China’s official Xinhua news agency, as cited by the South China Morning Post.

https://www.news18.com/world/what-made-china-destroy-300-dams-and-pull-the-plug-on-its-own-hydropower-stations-ws-l-9435519.html

Why China Demolished 300 Dams and Shut Down Its Own Hydropower Plants? | TDG Explainer

Aug 2, 2025

China dismantled 300 dams and shut hydropower plants on the Red River to restore ecosystems, protect biodiversity, and help revive endangered species like the Yangtze sturgeon.

In an ambitious bid to revive river habitats, China has removed 300 of 357 dams and closed 342 of 373 small hydropower installations on the Chishui He, known as the Red River, a major tributary supplying the upper Yangtze.

Spanning more than 400 km across Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan provinces in southwestern China, the Red River has been the focal point of a massive ecological restoration program launched in 2020.

This push, as reported by Xinhua and quoted by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), is a dramatic turnaround from decades of untrammeled hydropower development.

Restoring Fish Migration and River Health

Authorities outlined why demolishing these facilities was essential in order to restore migration routes for fish, restore river flow patterns, and restore long-disrupted spawning grounds.

The Yangtze, Asia’s longest river, underpins large portions of China’s ecological balance, agriculture, and economy. Yet decades of infrastructure development, including the aggressive construction of dams caused widespread devastation to aquatic habitats.

The Red River, a haven previously for rare native fish in the upper Yangtze, became extremely fragmented. Downstream flows were reduced, parts left dry, and critical links between breeding and non-breeding habitats were destroyed, annihilating local fish life.

https://thedailyguardian.com/china/why-china-demolished-300-dams-and-shut-down-its-own-hydropower-plants-tdg-explainer-621281/

“They Blew Up 300 Dams to Save a River”: Massive Demolition Sparks the Largest Environmental Comeback Ever Attempted

Jul 14, 2025

In a groundbreaking ecological initiative, China has dismantled 300 dams along the Chishui River, marking one of the largest efforts to restore aquatic biodiversity and reverse decades of environmental degradation.

The world is witnessing a monumental shift in how countries approach ecological conservation, with China taking a bold step towards revitalizing its natural habitats. In an unprecedented move, the nation has dismantled 300 dams along the Chishui River, a crucial tributary of the Yangtze River, to restore aquatic biodiversity. This ambitious project marks one of the largest state-led ecological interventions, aiming to reverse the damage caused by decades of hydro-infrastructure development. The effects of this initiative are profound, offering a glimmer of hope for endangered species and setting a precedent for global environmental efforts.

The Massive Undertaking: 342 Hydro Plants and 300 Dams Removed

The Chishui River, stretching over 250 miles through Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan provinces, has long been a refuge for rare and endemic fish species. However, the river’s ecosystem was severely fragmented by numerous dams and power stations. Since 2020, large-scale demolitions have been underway, and by the end of 2024, an impressive 300 out of 357 dams were dismantled. Additionally, 342 of 373 small hydropower stations were shut down, allowing the river to flow more freely and reconnect habitats.

This achievement is a significant milestone, as it enables the natural water flow and reopens migratory routes essential for fish reproduction. Liu Fei, a researcher from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, emphasized the importance of the restored habitat, which now meets the reproductive needs of the Yangtze sturgeon. Declared extinct in the wild, the sturgeon has shown signs of recovery, with recent hatchery-bred releases demonstrating successful natural reproduction.

https://www.sustainability-times.com/climate/they-blew-up-300-dams-to-save-a-river-massive-demolition-sparks-the-largest-environmental-comeback-ever-attempted/

[Is China blowing up its dams, or building dams? What is China really doing?]

China’s super-dam is an ecological and geopolitical time bomb

Jul 30, 2025

(excerpt)

China has built more dams than any other country and more large dams than the rest of the world combined. This month, it officially acknowledged construction of the biggest dam ever conceived in human history — although satellite imagery suggests the groundwork began much earlier, following the megaproject’s approval by China’s rubber-stamp parliament in 2021.

Located on the Brahmaputra River just before it curves into India, this super-dam is being developed with little transparency in a seismically active and ecologically fragile region near the heavily militarized Tibetan-Indian frontier. Once completed, the massive structure will dwarf the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze, and is expected to generate nearly three times as much hydropower by harnessing the Brahmaputra’s sharp descent from Himalayan peaks into the world’s deepest canyon.

Yet far beyond electricity production, the project portends a looming geopolitical and environmental crisis. It stands to disrupt the hydrological balance for millions of people downstream, destabilize a delicate Himalayan ecosystem and provide Beijing with a potent new lever over India, its strategic rival.

China appears to have learned nothing from its own cautionary tale: the Three Gorges Dam, currently the world’s largest. Once hailed as an engineering marvel, the dam has become an environmental nightmare — eroding riverbanks and deltas, degrading water quality, triggering frequent landslides and causing lasting ecological damage.

The new super-dam’s site is on a geologic fault line — a recipe for catastrophe. Scientists warn that large dam reservoirs can trigger seismic activity, a phenomenon known as reservoir-triggered seismicity. In this quake-prone region, the tectonic stresses induced by such a megastructure could lead to devastating earthquakes.

The Brahmaputra — the world’s highest-altitude major river — draws its perennial flow from Himalayan springs, glacial melt, upland wetlands and tributaries. The vast majority of these sources lie within Chinese-occupied Tibet, where the river is known as the Yarlung Zangbo. In contrast, India contributes modestly to the river’s year-round volume, though it plays a greater role in its monsoonal surge. After flowing through India’s Arunachal Pradesh and Assam states, the river enters Bangladesh before draining into the Bay of Bengal.

But a river’s flow is not just about water — it also carries nutrient-rich sediment, serving as the ecological lifeblood of entire regions.

By building a gigantic dam just before the river exits Chinese-controlled territory, Beijing gains the power to manipulate cross-border flows, including during the critical dry season. It can withhold or release water at will, trap sediment and potentially weaponize water in future disputes.

By capturing silt-laden waters before they reach India and Bangladesh, the dam will starve downstream floodplains of nourishing sediment that replenishes farmland and sustains fisheries. Bangladesh’s delta, already threatened by rising seas, will shrink further and become more prone to saltwater intrusion and catastrophic flooding.

Equally alarming is the likely disruption of the Brahmaputra’s natural flooding cycle. Seasonal floods during the summer monsoon serve vital ecological functions. Disrupting this rhythm could spell disaster for northeast India’s agrarian economy and for millions in Bangladesh who depend on the river’s pulse.

Moreover, by trapping sediment and altering flows, the $168 billion dam could erode riverbeds, degrade habitats and accelerate coastal loss. China would gain not only hydropower but also hydraulic power — the ability to influence political and ecological outcomes in neighboring nations.

https://thehill.com/opinion/international/5425929-chinas-super-dam-is-an-ecological-and-geopolitical-time-bomb/

>>23415551

Under the guise of "mental health" I see more drugs prescribed to the children and questions for the kids like "how many guns does your father have at home."