Islands of Garbage, Washed In By Rain, Threaten to Overrun Massive Chinese Dam
Garbage Islands Threaten Three Gorges China Daily Islands of garbage so thick people can stand on them are threatening China's massive Three Gorges Dam, according to Chinese state media. Recent heavy rains have washed thousands of tons of trash down the Yangtze River, and it threatens to jam the locks of the enormous dam, which is itself environmentally controversial. The China Daily says 3,000 tons of garbage is being collected every day, but there is not enough manpower to clean it all up. The waste could jam the gates of the locks at the dam, which allow shipping to pass through the river. Garbage is an everyday problem on the Yangtze -- the China Three Gorges Corporation spends about $1.5 million a year to clean it up -- although the China Daily reports it has been decreasing in recent years. But torrential rain washed an unusually high amount of waste, including...