24,000 small hydropower plants dot Yangtze, cut off 333 river tributaries

More than 24,000 small hydropower stations, those with installed capacity of less than 50,000 kilowatts, built along the Yangtze River economic zone in 10 provinces have drained 333 river tributaries, which could inflict fatal damage on the ecosystem.

China Central Television (CCTV) showed such stations close together along 29-kilometer-long the Ledong river in a county of Ganzhou, East China’s Jiangxi Province – with the distance between two hydropower facilities sometimes less than 100 meters.

A June 19 report of National Audit Office revealed the disorganized development that worried experts, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

One hundred and twentyfour species of fish living in the upper reaches of Yangtze River and its branches have been affected by the numerous power stations, which have led to the extinction of many aquatic organisms, 84-year-old Cao Wenxuan, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), said.

Small hydropower stations rapidly rose numbers in 10 years since 2003 when China’s demand for electricity went up due to faster development, Tang Qiuhong, a research fellow with CAS, told the CCTV.

Such power stations did make their contribution, though at the cost of the environment, Xinhua said.

Tang suggested conducting a scientific evaluation of the power stations, making necessary changes and dismantling those that cannot meet environmental requirements.

China has unveiled guidelines to enhance ecological and environmental protection and win the battle against air, water and soil pollution.

The document, released by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, specified pollution prevention and eco-environmental protection targets the country expects to achieve by 2020 and beyond.