Dams are important to a countries development as they

are multi-purpose schemes. They provide flood management,

regular water supply, river transport, HEP and recreational
opportunities. There are 39, 000 large dams in existence 90%
of these have been built since 1950.
China's Three Gorges project on the mountainous upper regions
of the Yangtze River is the world's largest hydroelectric dam
and reservoir. It cost roughly $40 billion to build This dam, with
the electric output of 20 coal-fired or nuclear power plants will:
generate almost 10% of China's electricity for use by
industry and about 150 million people.
Help China reduce its dependence on coal, which causes
severe air pollution and releases enormous amounts of
greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.
hold back the Yangtze River floodwaters, which have killed
more than 500,000 people during the past 100 years
including 4000 people in 1998.
With the advantages, there are also some major
disadvantages such as:

Flooding of large areas of productive farmland and forests

Displacing about 1.9 million people from their homes
The regions entire ecosystem has radically changed
Water pollution has increased because of the river's
reduced water flow
If the reservoir fills up with sediment and overflows
(especially if the reservoir is kept filled at a high level, as
planned, to provide maximum hydroelectric power), half a
million people will be exposed to severe flooding.
Facts:
It generates 11 times as much power as the Hoover Dam.
13 cities, 140 towns, and more than 1,600 villages have
been submerged under the world's largest reservoir. An
official count of 1.3 million people were relocated.
The project will use dams, pumping stations, tunnels, and
canals to draw 45 billion cubic meters of water upstream

1,000 miles each year