Physical Geography

• Where is the Three Gorges Dam?


  - The Yangtze Basin
• When the the Three Gorges Dam constructed?

  - Started in 1994 and finished in 2006
• Why was the Three Gorges Dam built?

  - Due to periodic flooding in the Yangtze Basin triggered after the 1991 floods
• How much flood water has the Three Gorges Dam intercepted?

  - 18.2 billion cubic meters of potential floodwater
• What were the positive social impacts of the Three Gorges Dam?

  - 40000 jobs

  - Tourist attraction

  - 137 million invested into resettling displaced people
• What can the lowering of the reservoirs do?

  - Creates 22 billion meters of storage space
• How much hydroelectric power does the Three Gorges Dam generate?


  - It has a capacity of 22500 mega watts

  - This is three times as much as the Grand Coulee Dam
• How much did the Three Gorges Dam cost?

  - 37 billion
• How many people did the Three Gorges Dam displace?


  - Between 1.3 to 1.9 million living in more than 19000 cities
• What did the Three Gorges Dam destroy?


  - Rare architectural and archaeological sites
• Why do some argue that the Three Gorges Dam was not a good design?


  - Argument that smaller dams on the Yangtze tributaries would have been more effective in managing flood control

  - It is estimated that twice the volume of the Dead Sea can pass through the Dam during flood season, Three gorges can only handle 9% of that

  - It was built of a seismic fault
• Where is the River Quaggy?


  - South-East London boroughs of Lewisham, Bromley and Greenwich
• How long is the River Quaggy?


  - 17km

  - Tributary to the River Ravenbourne
• When did the River Quaggy start to be managed?


  - The idea was proposed in 1995 called "Operation Kingfisher" however work was not begun until 2002
• Why did the river Quaggy need to be managed?


  - Due to urbanisation in the area, the river had no natural floodplain

  - Meaning when it did flood the water had nowhere to go and the surrounding areas were significantly damaged

  - Evidenced in the 1968 flood which destroyed 600 homes and businesses
• What did they do to the River Quaggy?


  - Bought it out of its culvert allowing a meandering channel to be reborn, using Sutcliff park as a floodplain
• What were the benifits of the River Quaggy?


  - Sutcliff park is enjoyed by the local community with its viewpoints and boardwalks

  - Increased Biodiversity by bringing back the Emperor Dragonfly and Little Grebe

  - Nearby houses have intergraded flood defenses
• What award did the River Quaggy win?

  - CIWEM award
• What were the problems encountered with the River Quaggy?

  - A creation of a meander growing beyond Sutcliff Park could both destroy the park and the flood defense as its exceeded its floodplain
• How much did the River Quaggy cost?

  - 17 million
• When and where was the Flood in Bangladesh?

  - 1998 July

  - Concentrated in Dhaka

  - 75% of the country was underwater

  - Lasted 15-20 days
• What caused the flood in Bangladesh?

  - clearing of forests and mangrove swamps

  - Snow melts from the Himalayas

  - Heavier than average Monsoon season

  - 80% of the country situated on low-lying floodplains

  - 60% of the country is lower than 6 meters above sea level
• How much crops were destroyed in Bangladesh?

  - 575000 hectares of crops

  - 2.04 metric tones of rice

  - 26000 livestock
• How many people were effected by the flood?

  - 1050 died

  - 25 million left homeless

  - 50 million lives disrupted
• Did the Bangladesh Flood have any positive impacts?

  - The formation of chars to grow Pumpkins

  - Bolstered profits in flood season by 70%
• What did the government do to reduce the floods impact?

  - 35000 tonnes of cereal
• How did NGO's help the flood?


  - The USA donated a weather station to help predict future flooding

  - OXFAM

  - Houses on stilts
• What rivers ran into the Aral Sea?

  - The Amu Darya and Syr Darya
• How much did the Aral Sea shrink by?

  - Surface area declined by 50%

  - Shoreline fell by 16 meters

  - Volume decreased by 75%
• When and why was the Aswan Dam built?

  - July 1970

  - To control floods and droughts

  - Created Lake Nasser
• How much hydro electric power does the Aswan Dam produce?

  - 7000KW
• How many people did the Aswan Dam displace?

  - 500000
• What is seepage in the Aswan Dam?

  - Seepage has led to salination and loss of crops