THREE GORGES DAM SITE, Hubei, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The Three Gorges Project, whose mammoth dam was completed on Saturday, will acquire the capability of combating a super big flood occurring once in 100 years as of this year and will start to take effect in flood control two years ahead of schedule. In an interview with Xinhua on Saturday, Li Yong'an, general manager of China Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development Corporation (CYRTGPDC), heralded Saturday's completion of the gigantic dam to a landmark in the construction of the Three Gorges Project. "Even if there is a major flood this summer, the Three Gorges Project is capable of regulating flooded waters in an effective way and preventing 15 million people on the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and their property from damages," said the general manager. Built with 16.1 million cu m of concrete, the Three Gorges Dam is considered the largest reinforced concrete dam in the world. A minor cofferdam has been constructed to facilitate building of the mega dam on the southern bank of the Yangtze River. The mega dam will be put to holding water when the minor cofferdam is blast away on June 6. In accordance with a flood control plan approved by the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, the level of water stored in the Three Gorges Reservoir will be kept below 150 meters during the flood season in this summer. However, if an emergency arises, the water level in the reservoir can be raised to control the water flow in the mainstream of the Yangtze and to alleviate the pressure on the middle and lower reaches of the mighty river, said Li. As a key facility to hold back flooded water, the Three Gorges Reservoir is capable of holding 39.3 billion cu m of water, including a space of 22.15 billion cu m for extra flooded water when it attains a normal water level of 175 meters. With a length of more than 6,300 km and a natural fall of 5,400 meters from the west to the east, the flood-prone Yangtze River is the largest of the kind in China and the third largest in the world. Most of the flooded areas are located at the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze, which are economically developed regions where 15 million residents live and 1.5 million hectares of farmland exit. Four major floods occurred in the regions in the 20th century, with the most recent one occurring in 1998 killing 1,526 people. Professor Wang Jun, a flood control specialist, said the Three Gorges Project, situated at the juncture of the upper reaches of the Yangtze and its middle reaches, could play an irreplaceable role in holding back an influx of water from areas within one million sq km along the upper reaches of the Yangtze. Dr.Wang Wei, a specialist with the Headquarters for Yangtze River Flood Control, said in accordance with the water control plan for the Three Gorges Reservoir in this summer flood season, the Three Gorges Reservoir is capable of taking the initiative to store up flooded water by providing a space of containing 7.29 billion cu m of flooded water, or just one third of the Three Gorges Project's total flood control capacity, when necessary. An estimate given by the Yangtze River Water Resources Committee shows after the construction of the Three Gorges Project, an average of 23,000 hectare of farmland might be spared from inundation each year, and plus the reduced losses spared from inundation of urban residential quarters, the annual benefit could come to two billion yuan (247 million U.S. dollars) which will otherwise have been lost judging by the economic standard and constant prices of 1992, one year before the Three Gorges Project began building. The fact that the Three Gorges Project begins to take effect in flood control does not necessarily mean no worries left in the flood control of the Yangtze River, and the main embankments built along both banks of the Yangtze are direct barriers that will help hold back the swollen waters in the Yangtze, said Li Yong'an, the CYRTGPDC general manager. "China has been investing heavily in constructing a comprehensive flood control network on the Yangtze River, which has the Three Gorges Project as the backbone facility, supported by an upward of 30,000 km of embankments along the Yangtze and specially built zones for diversion and storage of 50 billion cu m of flooded waters," said Li. Launched in 1993, the Three Gorges Project, including the 2,309-meter-long, 185-meter-high dam with 26 power generators, is being built in three phases on the middle reaches of the Yangtze, China's longest river. In addition to flood control functions, the gigantic project is expected to generate 84.7 billion kwh of electricity annually when it is finally completed. The entire project will be completed by 2008, a year ahead of schedule. Enditem Flood control network in Yangtze River Valley necessary: experts THREE GORGES DAM SITE, Hubei, May 20 (Xinhua) --Chinese water resources specialists say it is necessary to build a comprehensive flood control network in the Yangtze River Valley instead of relying solely on the Three Gorges Project. Following Saturday's completion of the mammoth dam, the Three Gorges Project will be put to storage water fully next month, producing its initial benefit in flood control. >> Three Gorges Project key in flood control of Yangtze River: expert THREE GORGES DAM SITE, Hubei, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The Three Gorges Project, whose mammoth dam was completed on Saturday, plays a key role in the flood control system of the Yangtze River, experts said here. The project is capable of holing back major floods on the longest river in China because of its location, size and landform, said Zheng Shouren, member of the Academy of Engineering of China. >>
Three Gorges Dam, receiving, water high-level side, 26 July, 2004
Three Gorges Dam, ship locks for river traffic to bypass the dam, May 2004
The People's Republic of China has announced the completion of an enormous dam across the Yangtze River, an important milestone for the world's largest hydroelectric project. The official Xinhua News Agency reports the event as a "landmark in the construction of the project." 

Launched in 1993, the Three Gorges Project, including the 2,300 metre long, 185 metre high dam with 26 power generators, is being built in three phases on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River - China's longest river. Built with over 16 million m3 of concrete, the Three Gorges Dam is considered the biggest reinforced concrete dam in the world. 

The Three Gorges Reservoir is capable of holding nearly 40 billion m3 of water, including a space of 22.15 billion m3 for extra flooded water. With a length of more than 6,300 km and a natural fall of 5,400 metres from the west to the east, the flood-prone Yangtze River is the third largest in the world.

The gigantic project is expected to generate around 15 million megawatts of electricity, 84.7 billion kWh annually when the entire project is completed in 2008. But whilst proponents of the world's largest hydropower project laud the increased electricity generation and improved flood control as benefits to China, opponents claim destruction of the environment, ruin to China's cultural heritage - disaffecting millions of local residents.

"In my view, building the Three Gorges dam is a ridiculous and evil farce," says dam opponent Dai Qing. "Many people have known something is wrong with the project, but few have dared to speak up," she said. After it becomes operational, the 660km reservoir created by the dam will drown 13 towns, 4500 villages and 162 archaeological sites. 

Friends of the Earth (FoE) are also strident vocal critics. "The dam is having a titanic social and environment impact," the group said this week. "Sometimes people are being moved out by truncheon and bulldozer because they refuse to leave their home for fear of not being rehoused. Human rights violations are massive and brutal," it said. FoE pointed to evidence that the dam was already having a serious environment impact.

FoE points to a scientific study by the East China Normal University in Shanghai, published in March in Geophysical Research, which said that in 2004, the Three Gorges dam has reduced the supply of sediment to the Yangtze delta to just 35 per cent of the norm.
Three Gorges Dam from space
Millions of tonnes of silt are drawn along the Yangtze river every year, and critics argue the dam will intercept much of it - with potentially disastrous consequences. They say the lack of sediment further downstream would lead to soil erosion, and the accumulation of sediment in the reservoir could raise the dam level, submerging even more land. 

Opponents say the reservoir could fill with the accumulated garbage from tens of millions of households. The China Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development Corp. has spent $2.5 million on a vessel to collect as much as 7 million cubic feet of garbage that accumulates at the dam each year, according to Xinhua. Some argue that the impact of the dam project will contribute to the extinction of the rare Yangtze river dolphin. 

The dam project will force the relocation of a total of 1.13 million people, and communities that have lived in the area for millennia will disappear. Researchers warn sedimentation and rising water levels in the reservoir will lead to the evacuation of tens of thousands more people.

But as the waters rise, that which can not be saved will disappear along with some world famous natural scenery. Critics say the dam is under threat from earthquakes, with two geological fault lines nearby. Officials working on the project counter this by saying the worst that can happen is a tremor measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale, while the dam is built to withstand force 7.0.

"Although the dam is now complete, we still have a long way to go and cannot become self-satisfied or relax our efforts in the least," Li Yongan, general manager of the Three Gorges Project Development Corp, said. The official China Daily in an editorial called for people to remember the more than 100 workers whom died during the dam's construction. "The best possible way to repay such a debt of gratitude is to make sure the highest safety and quality standards are observed up till the very end of the entire building process," the editorial said.