China Greenlights Controversial Poyang Lake Dam After Decades of Debate
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After more than two decades of debate, China has cleared the way for a massive water-control project on Poyang Lake, the country’s largest freshwater lake and a wetland of global ecological importance.
The Poyang Lake Water Conservancy Project has been added to Jiangxi province’s 2026 roster of key construction projects, according to a recent notice from the provincial Development and Reform Commission. The listing is widely seen as the long-awaited green light for a plan first floated in 2002 and repeatedly challenged by conservationists, including 15 prominent academics and scientists who once filed a formal objection warning it could undermine protection efforts.
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- China approved the Poyang Lake Water Conservancy Project, featuring a 3,000-meter sluice-gate to address seasonal low water, starting construction in 2026.
- Environmentalists warn the project could harm migratory birds, endangered porpoises, and lake-ecosystem connectivity, as alternatives like joint dam operations are debated.
- The Yangtze basin has lost most lake-river connections since the 1950s, with only three major lakes remaining connected, down from 102.
- Before the 1950s：
- There were 102 lakes freely connected to the main river in the middle and lower Yangtze basin.
- 2002：
- The plan for the Poyang Lake Water Conservancy Project was first floated.
- 2003：
- The Three Gorges Dam began operating.
- 2021：
- A study by leading Chinese research institutes concluded that joint scheduling could ease low-water conditions at Poyang Lake.
- 2022：
- Feasibility demonstrations for a Dongting Lake water-conservancy hub were launched, according to a 2024 document from the Hunan Provincial Department of Water Resources.
- 2024：
- A document from the Hunan Provincial Department of Water Resources mentioned ongoing feasibility studies for the Dongting Lake project.
- 2026：
- The Poyang Lake Water Conservancy Project is included in Jiangxi's roster of key construction projects.
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