Dams pollute more than coal?
Jan. 4 (China Daily): The argument that hydropower construction may contribute more pollution than thermal power plants has stirred controversy among China’s top authorities.
Ling Jiang, deputy director of the department of pollution prevention and control under the Ministry of Environmental Protection said recently that hydropower was not as clean as people thought and might cause more pollution than thermal power. He said the development of hydropower projects destroyed parts of the ecosystem and caused water and soil erosion in nearby rivers.
Mao Xianqiang, professor of the School of Environment at the Beijing Normal University, said hydropower also affects ecosystems due to the changes it cause in geological conditions, such as cutting off the water flows and submerging land.
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