Green plan for Three Gorges Dam areas
Source: Xinhua |
May 19, 2011, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE Chinese government has announced measures to curb environmental deterioration in the Three Gorges Project areas by 2020, according to a Cabinet meeting held yesterday.
The government will tackle the negative effects brought by the project to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and improve the long-term mechanisms for geological disaster prevention, according to a statement released after an executive meeting of the State Council.
The government will also increase efforts to preserve the areas' ecology and promote biological diversity in the places affected by the world's largest hydro-power complex, according to the statement.
The main body of the Three Gorges Dam, located in the town of Sandouping in central China's Hubei Province, was completed in May 2006 after 17 years of construction. It began operation in 2003 and had generated more than 440 billion kwh of electricity by the end of 2010.
The project has played a significant role in flood prevention, power generation, shipping and water resources use, the statement said.
At the same time, efforts are needed to address problems concerning the wellbeing of relocated residents, environmental protection and geological disaster prevention - all of which should be solved urgently, it said.
The statement also pointed out the project's impact on shipping and irrigation and water supply in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
At the meeting, the government vowed to stick to the principle of putting people first and promoting sustainable development in post-construction work.
It stressed the need to curb water pollution in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze, which affects eight provinces with an area of 633,000 square-kilometers. The area is also the nation's most densely populated, which means significant environmental pressure.
According to the statement, efforts should be made to increase control of water pollution to ensure the safety of drinking water.
The government also pledged to raise the standard of living for relocated residents through economic restructuring and improvements to infrastructure, and ensure the social security system covers all urban and rural residents by 2020.
Approximately 1.24 million residents in Chongqing Municipality and Hubei Province were relocated to make way for the project.
The Three Gorges Project was launched in 1993 with a budget equivalent to US$22.5 billion. It is a multi-functional water control system, consisting of a dam, a five-tier ship dock and 26 hydropower turbo-generators. By 2012, six more hydropower turbo-generators will be installed.
The government will tackle the negative effects brought by the project to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and improve the long-term mechanisms for geological disaster prevention, according to a statement released after an executive meeting of the State Council.
The government will also increase efforts to preserve the areas' ecology and promote biological diversity in the places affected by the world's largest hydro-power complex, according to the statement.
The main body of the Three Gorges Dam, located in the town of Sandouping in central China's Hubei Province, was completed in May 2006 after 17 years of construction. It began operation in 2003 and had generated more than 440 billion kwh of electricity by the end of 2010.
The project has played a significant role in flood prevention, power generation, shipping and water resources use, the statement said.
At the same time, efforts are needed to address problems concerning the wellbeing of relocated residents, environmental protection and geological disaster prevention - all of which should be solved urgently, it said.
The statement also pointed out the project's impact on shipping and irrigation and water supply in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
At the meeting, the government vowed to stick to the principle of putting people first and promoting sustainable development in post-construction work.
It stressed the need to curb water pollution in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze, which affects eight provinces with an area of 633,000 square-kilometers. The area is also the nation's most densely populated, which means significant environmental pressure.
According to the statement, efforts should be made to increase control of water pollution to ensure the safety of drinking water.
The government also pledged to raise the standard of living for relocated residents through economic restructuring and improvements to infrastructure, and ensure the social security system covers all urban and rural residents by 2020.
Approximately 1.24 million residents in Chongqing Municipality and Hubei Province were relocated to make way for the project.
The Three Gorges Project was launched in 1993 with a budget equivalent to US$22.5 billion. It is a multi-functional water control system, consisting of a dam, a five-tier ship dock and 26 hydropower turbo-generators. By 2012, six more hydropower turbo-generators will be installed.
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