4.2 The Political Sensitivity of Reservoir Displacement in China
More recently, the impact of massive development-induced resettlement of those who have been dispersed across the country, thereby affecting the economy and the established harmony of stable communities has become a particular concern of the Chinese Government. Compulsory dislocation of millions of people because of development projects are directly related to economic reform on the one hand, and social justice issues on the other, both of which are essential to China’s status and importance in the international community. Since many of the problems related to past reservoir resettlements have remained unresolved, any serious mention of the human cost resulting from hydroelectricity development projects has been restrained due to the public’s fear of political reprisals (Li et al., 2001). Even today in 2013, many people in the Chinese Government who in private conversation have expressed grave reservations about humanitarian violations associated with dam projects have elected to keep silent, rather than to be seen to oppose the government’s highly sensitive and politicized views in favour of the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. Given the continuing controversy about resettlement policy and the environment impacts of the construction, the government does not look with an auspicious eye upon its critics, especially those whom it employs (ibid). As a result, detailed and accurate data on the actual number of persons displaced by different developmental projects since 1949, the year of establishment of China, is virtually impossible to adduce. The present location of those people dislocated, and any accurate information about their current socio-economic status compared to pre-displacement, is almost non-existent, due to official apathy, power-politic indifference, and suppression of any views with conflicting the government figures. Although some efforts have been made over the past two decades to disclose such information, the extent of displacement and the basic information on the schedule of resettlement are hopelessly vague and ambiguous (Tan & Yao, 2006). What is clear is that in an overwhelming number of cases, those millions of people have been forced to abandon their homes, have lost their means of production, and income, and have experienced socio-cultural and economic disruption during the past five decades of planned economic development, making the actual practice of resettlement grossly inadequate and, in several cases shown below downright insulting (Jing, 1999; Tan & Yao, 2006).
Table 4-1: Dams Induced Resettlement of over 100,000 People across the world (Source: Ceanea, 1997; ICOLD, 1998; WCD, 2000; International River, 2003b)
| Dam Project | Country | Completion of year | Number of people Resettled |
| Three Gorges Dam | China | 2012 | 1,300,000 |
| Samenxia | China | 1960 | 410,000 |
| Danjiankou | China | 1974 | 383,000 |
| Sardar Sarovar | India | 2006 | 330,000 |
| Xinanjiang | China | 1960 | 306,000 |
| Dongpinghu | China | 1958 | 278,000 |
| Narmada | India | 2006 | 250,000 |
| Xiaolangdi | China | 2000 | 181,600 |
| Pong | India | 1974 | 150,000 |
| Zhaxi | China | 1961 | 141,000 |
| Almatti | India | 2005 | 140,000 |
| Bargi | India | 1988 | 113,600 |
| Aswan High Dam | Egypt | 1970 | 113,000 |
| Hirakund | India | 1957 | 110,000 |
| Mangla | Pakistan | 1967 | 110,000 |
| Tehri | India | 2006 | 105,000 |
| Kaptai | Bangladesh | 1962 | 100,000 |
| Srisailam | India | 1984 | 100,000 |