China’s controversial Three Gorges Dam, now under construction, is plagued by corruption and is likely to lead to serious pollution problems, but officials say the project will be completed nonetheless. Enviros and human rights advocates vehemently oppose the dam on the Yangtze River, which will be the world’s largest hydroelectric project and will displace 1.3 million people. More than $600 million in funds that were intended to help resettle residents were embezzled in a case involving 14 officials, according to a January report by the National Audit Office; some 80 percent of the money has been recovered. The dam will create a 350-mile-long reservoir that critics argue will be severely contaminated by heavy industrial effluent and sewage. Officials counter that the government is researching ways to reduce pollution.
