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| Questions abound about the actual value of the Three Gorges Dam, its engineering and construction. |
Even before the Three Gorges Dam was started in 1994, many questioned whether the benefits would outweigh the ecological damage and future risks of the project.
The company building the dam also certified its safety. The norm is for another, independent engineering firm to make sure those building a complex structure also take care of safety concerns.When a visiting Western engineering group said the dam was unsafe, they were expelled and called racists.
Constant flooding has put enormous pressure on the dam, and some have claimed it is already distorted from the stress and poor design.
A catastrophic collapse could topple the regime.