Search Results (23)

In the resettlement process of water conservancy and hydropower projects, the effective development of resettlers’ livelihoods constitutes a vital component for safeguarding the rights of land-expropriated farmers and maintaining social stability. The sustainability of resettlers’ livelihoods depends on both resource endowments and their behavioral intentions. However, the traditional Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) has largely neglected behavioral driving mechanisms, thereby limiting the precision of related research. Drawing on the SLA and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this study incorporates willingness to develop as a perceived behavioral control variable into the analysis of resettlers’ livelihood capital and constructs a research model that outlines sustainable development pathways under the influence of livelihood status and perceived control. Based on this model, the sustainable livelihood capacity of 195 resettler households in Guangdong Province was comprehensively evaluated, after which the obstacle degree model was used to identify key obstacle factors across various livelihood strategies. The results demonstrate that sustainable livelihood capacity is influenced by livelihood capital, the livelihood environment, and willingness to develop, with the latter and financial capital emerging as the most significant obstacles. This framework can support the sustainable livelihood development of resettlers under evolving conditions and offer policy-makers sustainability-oriented recommendations. Full article

This study aims to mitigate slope-collapse hazards that threaten life and property at the Lujiawan resettlement site in Wanbi Town, Dayao County, Yunnan Province, within the Guanyinyan hydropower reservoir. It integrates centimeter-level point-cloud data collected by a DJI Matrice 350 RTK equipped with a Zenmuse L2 airborne LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) sensor with detailed structural-joint survey data. First, qualitative structural interpretation is conducted with stereographic projection. Next, safety factors are quantified using the limit-equilibrium method, establishing a dual qualitative–quantitative diagnostic framework. This framework delineates six hazardous rock zones (WY1–WY6), dominated by toppling and free-fall failure modes, and evaluates their stability under combined rainfall infiltration, seismic loading, and ambient conditions. Subsequently, six-degree-of-freedom Monte Carlo simulations incorporating realistic three-dimensional terrain and block geometry are performed in RAMMS::ROCKFALL (Rapid Mass Movements Simulation—Rockfall). The resulting spatial patterns of rockfall velocity, kinetic energy, and rebound height elucidate their evolution coupled with slope height, surface morphology, and block shape. Results show peak velocities ranging from 20 to 42 m s⁻¹ and maximum kinetic energies between 0.16 and 1.4 MJ. Most rockfall trajectories terminate within 0–80 m of the cliff base. All six identified hazardous rock masses pose varying levels of threat to residential structures at the slope foot, highlighting substantial spatial variability in hazard distribution. Drawing on the preceding diagnostic results and dynamic simulations, we recommend a three-tier “zonal defense with in situ energy dissipation” scheme: (i) install 500–2000 kJ flexible barriers along the crest and upper slope to rapidly attenuate rockfall energy; (ii) place guiding or deflection structures at mid-slope to steer blocks and dissipate momentum; and (iii) deploy high-capacity flexible nets combined with a catchment basin at the slope foot to intercept residual blocks. This staged arrangement maximizes energy attenuation and overall risk reduction. This study shows that integrating high-resolution 3D point clouds with rigid-body contact dynamics overcomes the spatial discontinuities of conventional surveys. The approach substantially improves the accuracy and efficiency of hazardous rock stability assessments and rockfall trajectory predictions, offering a quantifiable, reproducible mitigation framework for long slopes, large rock volumes, and densely fractured cliff faces. Full article

As a pivotal force in the development of hydropower and water conservancy, the evolution of China’s reservoir resettlement policies has garnered significant attention. Over the past seven decades, the nation has made remarkable strides in implementing resettlement initiatives, effectively contributing to poverty alleviation and water resource management. However, emerging challenges, including diminishing opportunities for new reservoir construction, the expiration of post-relocation support policies, and the current emphasis on high-quality development, reveal critical gaps in the existing research. Specifically, macro-level analyses of policy evolution remain scarce, particularly concerning the interrelation between two cornerstone components: land acquisition compensation policies and post-relocation support policies. To address this gap, this paper adopts a holistic historical perspective to analyze the evolution of China’s reservoir resettlement policies across four distinct stages, focusing on the development of two key policies and their interrelations. The findings reveal that each stage of China’s reservoir resettlement policies is characterized by unique thematic priorities, with their interrelations gradually evolving toward greater synergy. Nevertheless, challenges persist, including insufficient per capita farmland allocation and industrial decline in resettlement areas. Accordingly, this paper proposes optimization strategies that encompass policy innovation, multi-stakeholder participation, digital management, and the enhancement of resettlement agencies. China’s experience in fostering policy synergy offers critical insights into institutional evolution while providing valuable references for other countries seeking to refine their reservoir resettlement frameworks. Full article

This study systematically analyzes the factors influencing the social integration of reservoir resettlers, aiming to provide a theoretical basis and policy recommendations for enhancing their social integration. Grounded in social capital theory and social cognitive theory, the influencing factors are categorized into five dimensions: social norms, social trust, social networks, self-efficacy, and outcome expectations. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) are employed to analyze field survey data and uncover the mechanisms through which these factors influence social integration. The results indicate that social norms, social trust, and social networks positively affect resettlers’ self-efficacy and outcome expectations, which, in turn, have a positive impact on their social integration. The fsQCA results further identify five configurations, which are consolidated into three driving types: the internal-external driving path, the proactive integration path, and the capital-enabled path. By integrating the perspectives of social capital and social cognition and employing both SEM and fsQCA methodologies, this study provides valuable insights for policy-making related to the social integration of reservoir resettlers. Full article

The development of renewable energy is an effective avenue for achieving net zero goals. It requires many energy storage systems (ESSs) for adjusting the unstable power generated by renewable energy. To date, PSH is the most technically mature, economically reasonable, and reliable ESS. Currently, various countries have developed PSH. As of 2022, the global installed capacity of PSH has reached 175,060 MW, with an annual increase of 10,300 MW. This paper addresses several technical considerations in the preliminary design of PSH systems, drawing on extensive design experience. Key factors such as the selection of dam sites, installed capacity, and characteristic water levels are thoroughly discussed. These design choices are influenced by a range of factors, including geological and topographical conditions, hydrological parameters, environmental impacts, sedimentation, submersion areas, and resettlement issues. PSH is highly effective in meeting power demands, regulating frequency and phase, serving as an emergency power reserve, and improving the power factor of electrical networks. It enhances the quality of renewable energy sources such as wind, photovoltaic, and tidal power, which are characterized by intermittent supply. Beyond its technical advantages, PSH also contributes to local employment and tourism and supports pollutant reduction efforts. Compared to other energy storage systems, PSH has a more significant environmental impact and requires a longer construction period. Thus, exploring new forms of PSH is crucial. Innovative approaches such as utilizing constructed reservoirs, lakes, seas, and abandoned pits can reduce both investment and construction time while minimizing the environmental impact. This paper aims to provide some technical references and feasible plans to governments, owners, and engineers during the planning and preliminary design stages of a PSH project. Full article

Energy transition is a major structural change in the whole social system, and the energy system must be changed globally to replace fossil fuels. Hydropower is one of the largest sources of renewable energy in the world. However, owing to the construction of hydropower projects, involuntary resettlers are suffering from being far away from their native land, losing the land cultivated for generations and the houses they live in, and losing the social relationship network based on geography and blood ties. Based on the system evaluation theory of reservoir resettlement and referring to relevant research findings, this paper constructs a comprehensive evaluation index framework for assessing the implementation effect of the Post-Relocation Support (PReS) policy. The research region is located in Zhijin County, Bijie City, Guizhou Province, China. Accordingly, a combined method of a structural equation model and a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model is used in this paper to analyze the implementation of the PReS policy. The results show that the total score of implementing effects of the PReS policy is 4.4, with dramatic significance. The subindex scores of the resettlers’ family income, living conditions, and production conditions; the local economy; and social stability are 4.3, 4.6, 4.4, 4.6, and 4.3, respectively, with dramatic significance. This paper has analyzed and summarized the successful practices of implementing the PReS policy for reservoir resettlers in three dimensions: poverty alleviation, beautiful home construction, and accelerating rural revitalization. Research shows that China’s rural reservoir resettlers’ PReS policy has been more effective in restoring the livelihoods of reservoir resettlers. Full article

The karst fissures of the carbonate thermal reservoir in Xiong’an New Area have developed, and they have the advantages of a concentrated distribution, shallow burial, large water volume, and easy recharge, which are conducive to the development and utilization of geothermal resources. This paper took the carbonate thermal reservoir in Xiong’an New Area as the research object and studied the characteristics of the seepage patterns and temperature distribution in thermal storage with different well arrangements and recharge methods by laser etching the micromodel of the carbonate thermal reservoir and simulating the recharge methods. The paper established a numerical model of the resettlement area of Xiong’an New Area based on the production data and the current recharge well pattern, and it proposed a plan for a geothermal doublet well arrangement. The results showed that the injection speed and angle significantly influenced the seepage of injected water in the fractured reservoir. The injection speed correlated with the breakthrough time and swept area. The breakthrough time plummeted as the injection speed increased, and the swept area crept up as the injection-fracture dip increased. The well arrangements also impacted the seepage patterns. The well pattern of two injectors and three producers was relatively suitable for geothermal reinjection, and it was more appropriate to choose the maximum injection-fracture dip because of the largest swept area. Factors that affected the sustainable development and utilization of geothermal fields included the well pattern arrangement, well spacing, injection and production volumes, and the temperature of the injected water. Based on the modeling, it is recommended that the well spacing be greater than 500 m, and the injection and production volumes less than 110 m³/h in the resettlement area of Xiong’an New Area. Moreover, a vertical fracture well is recommended to reduce thermal breakthroughs. Full article

Land requisition and resettlement of migrants are two major parts of flood control projects. After a large land area was allocated for flood control projects, livelihood resilience of resettlers became a great challenge. In this paper, Puyang County, Taiqian County, and Fan County, Henan Province, China, are chosen for a household survey. An index system to assess farming households’ livelihood resilience is constructed. After that, regression analysis and variance analysis are adopted to examine influencing factors of resettlers’ livelihood resilience. Results suggest the following: (1) Livelihood resilience of resettled farming households is on the whole lower than that of non-resettled farming households; (2) Response to policies, family scale, livelihood strategy, and skill training are major influencing factors of resettled farming households’ livelihood resilience; (3) Compared with other types of farming households, livelihood resilience of farming households with land expropriated is significantly different. In order to enhance resettlers’ livelihood resilience, the government should expand the application scope of follow-up support policies of reservoir resettlement, enhance capability construction of resettlement management departments, strengthen support for resettlers’ employment, combine resettlement with rural revitalization strategy, and improve the social security system for flood control project resettlers. Full article

Due to the proposal of China’s carbon neutrality target, the traditional fossil energy industry continues to decline, and the proportion of new energy continues to increase. New energy power systems have high requirements for peak shaving and energy storage, but China’s current energy storage facilities are seriously insufficient in number and scale. The unique features of abandoned mines offer considerable potential for the construction of large-scale pumped storage power stations. Several countries have reported the conversion of abandoned mines to pumped storage plants, and a pilot project for the conversion of an underground reservoir group has been formalized in China. A feasibility study that considered the natural conditions, mine conditions, safety conditions, and economic benefits revealed that the construction of pumped storage power stations using abandoned mines could ameliorate several economic, ecological, and social problems, including resource utilization, ecological restoration, and population resettlement. The construction of pumped storage power stations using abandoned mines not only utilizes underground space with no mining value (reduced cost and construction period), but also improves the peak-load regulation and energy storage urgently needed for the development of power grid systems. Combined with the underground space and surface water resources of the Shitai Mine in Anhui, China, a plan for the construction of a pumped storage power station was proposed. The challenges faced by the current project were evaluated, further research suggested, and demonstration projects established in order to help achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. Full article

The level of sustainable livelihoods, as a yardstick for measuring the social development of migrants, is of great importance to the sustainable development of the region. Based on the analysis of the policy logic of ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River basin, this paper constructs a “ternary” system model and evaluation index system for sustainable livelihoods of farm households in the ecological resettlement areas of the upper Yellow River, and proposes that the harmonious relationship between the three basic dimensions of economy, society and environment is the key to evaluate the sustainable livelihood level of farm households in ecological resettlement areas. Based on the comprehensive evaluation index to assess the comprehensive development level of ecological resettlement areas, we introduced the coupling coordination degree and constructed the coordinated development degree model of “economic-social-environmental” system to characterize the sustainable livelihood level. Through the data of 1116 questionnaires and in-depth interviews in the ecological migrant resettlement area of Liujiaxia reservoir in the upper reaches of the Yellow River basin, the sustainable livelihood status and spatial distribution differences of farm households in 14 townships in the region were evaluated, and the validity of the indicator system was empirically tested. Finally, sustainable livelihood strategies for farm households in the ecological resettlement areas of the upper Yellow River are proposed for the economic, social and environmental dimensions, and the indicator system is further revised. The evaluation system can not only advance the research paradigm of sustainable livelihood assessment for farmers in ecological migrant resettlement areas but can also be widely guided and applied to the sustainable development of ecological migrant practices in China. Full article

The livelihood capital of resettled households is an important factor that affects their choice of livelihood strategies. The relationship between the two can help to transform the livelihood behavior of resettled households aiming to achieve sustainable livelihoods. Based on survey data of livelihoods of the Wuxikou Water Control Project, the logistic regression model was used to analyze the influence of livelihood capital on the choice of livelihood strategies. The results showed the following: (1) The five categories of livelihood capital values were generally not high. The value of human capital was the highest (0.480), while the value of natural capital was the lowest (0.362). (2) Natural and financial capital have significant effects on the choice of an agricultural-oriented livelihood strategy, in which natural capital has a positive effect and financial capital has a negative effect. Social and financial capital have a significant positive effect on the choice of a migrant-oriented livelihood strategy. Human and physical capital have significant positive effects on the choice of a part-time balanced livelihood strategy. (3) Decisive factors are used to promote transformation from agriculture-oriented to migrant-oriented, mostly comprising education level and interpersonal communication, among other indicators. The important factors used to promote transformation from agriculture-oriented to part-time balanced are mainly labor force quantity and total family income, among other indicators. Finally, on the basis of the above findings, context-specific policies are proposed from the observations of livelihood capital and livelihood strategies, such as upgrading the level of human capital by category, reconstructing the social capital network in multiple forms, and diversifying and broadening financial capital channels. Full article

Monitoring the living and production standards of resettlers due to hydraulic engineering is at the core of the evaluation of the effectiveness of resettlement and providing post-relocation support. In the past two decades, 0.196 million individuals were relocated outside of the reservoir area (out-resettlers) because of the construction of Three Gorges Dam. In 2019, large-scale tracking and monitoring of resettlers in 1371 households in 122 villages and 12 provinces was conducted by using the methods of stratified sampling, equidistant random sampling, and simple random sampling. The status of out-resettlers from the Three Gorges Reservoir area was compared with that of local residents in resettlement areas and nearby-resettlers based on the production–living–social security–social integration–satisfaction perspective. The results show that the living and production conditions of out-resettlers have significantly improved, and their income and consumption were positively correlated with the development level of the resettlement area. More than 90% of out-resettlers have adapted to local languages, cultural customs, and living habits. Out-resettlers have the highest satisfaction with infrastructure construction and public service facilities, at more than 90%, and the lowest satisfaction with the availability of arable land, at approximately 80%. This study can provide a reference for follow-up work on the Three Gorges Project. Full article

With the increase of economic strength and technological advancement, financial and technical issues are becoming less and less constraining for the construction of water conservancy and hydropower projects, and the resettlement of reservoir resettlers has become the most critical factor in determining the success or failure of the construction. This study constructs a risk analysis framework for reservoir resettlers’ livelihood strategy transformation from the perspective of “resilient livelihoods”, characterizing their risk exposure with a comprehensive risk index and testing the effectiveness of the framework through robustness analysis. The framework was used to analyze the risk of reservoir resettlers in Guangdong Province, from which we found that the degree of risk and the type of vulnerability faced by resettlers with different livelihood strategies differed significantly, and we discussed each of them to help resettlers minimize the possible harm that they might suffer from. Thus, this framework can help reservoir resettlers to achieve sustainable development to a certain extent and also provide useful suggestions for policy makers to ensure the smooth construction of water conservancy and hydropower projects. Full article

Hydropower engineering has brought unprecedented benefits to the world while causing massive displacement of people. Since the implementation of the Post-Relocation Support (PReS) policy for reservoir resettlers in China in 2006, the distribution of perceived livelihood resilience by gender of resettlers has gradually become more equal. Based on data from a survey of rural reservoir resettlers’ livelihoods in nine regions of Guizhou Province, China, this data examines the distribution of resettlers’ perceived livelihood resilience across genders using logit regression and then explores the contribution to gender equality. The empirical results show that, unlike previous studies, household economic conditions do not bring about more gender differences in perceived livelihood resilience among resettlers (gender contribution ratio = 1.12). Gender differences in perceived livelihood resilience among resettlers were influenced by household workforce levels (e.g., gender contribution ratio = 1.23 at high workforce levels), education level (e.g., contribution ratio = 1.87 in primary education), and resettlement methods (e.g., contribution ratio = 4.53 at external resettlement). The implementation of the PReS policy also contributes to the gender equality of these resettlers’ perceived livelihood resilience. For rural resettlers in different regions with different livelihoods, resettlement patterns, capital, and gender differences of resettlers should be understood through different livelihood resilience perspectives. Improving capacity building of resettlers’ livelihoods resilience through site-specific, participatory development and resource interoperability to promote high quality, sustainable and simultaneous development in resettlement areas and reservoirs. Full article

Because generating electricity significantly contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions, meeting the 2015 Paris Agreement and 2021 Glasgow Climate Pact requires rapidly transitioning to zero or low-emissions electricity grids. Though the installation of renewables-based generators—predominantly wind and solar-based systems—is accelerating worldwide, electrical energy storage systems, such as pumped storage hydropower, are needed to balance their weather-dependent output. The authors of this paper are the first to examine the status and potential for pumped storage hydropower development in 24 Pacific Rim economies (the 21 member economies of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation plus Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar). We show that there is 195 times the pumped storage hydropower potential in the 24 target economies as would be required to support 100% renewables-based electricity grids. Further to the electrical energy storage potential, we show that pumped storage hydropower is a low-cost, low-greenhouse-gas-emitting electrical energy storage technology that can be sited and designed to have minimal negative (or in some cases positive) social impacts (e.g., requirements for re-settlement as well as impacts on farming and livelihood practices) and environmental impacts (e.g., impacts on water quality and biodiversity). Because of the high potential for pumped storage hydropower-based electrical energy storage, only sites with low negative (or positive) social and environmental impacts such as brownfield sites and closed-loop PSH developments (where water is moved back and forth between two reservoirs, thus minimally disturbing natural hydrology) need be developed to support the transition to zero or low-carbon electricity grids. In this way, the advantages of well-designed and -sited pumped storage hydropower can effectively address ongoing conflict around the social and environmental impacts of conventional hydropower developments. Noting the International Hydropower Association advocacy for pumped storage hydropower, we make recommendations for how pumped storage hydropower can sustainably reduce electricity-sector greenhouse gas emissions, including through market reforms to encourage investment and the application of standards to avoid and mitigate environmental and social impacts. Full article