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State vows help for homes dislodged by Three Gorges Dam
By Yang Jian |
May 30, 2011, Monday
|
Online Edition
Online Edition
IMPROVING the living standards of people dislodged by the Three Gorges Dam project remains a priority for the central government, officials said yesterday.
About 1.35 million people have been relocated to make way for the world's largest hydroelectric dam on the Yangtze River in central China's Hubei Province since the project started in 1993. The main part of the dam was completed in May 2006.
The central government pledged to raise the living standards of relocated homes through economic investment in the reservoir area and cover everyone with the social security system by 2020, Xinhua reported today.
The smooth resettlement of relocated people and their well-being are key factors to determine if the project is successful or not, said Nie Weiguo, a senior official with the State Council Three Gorges Project Construction Committee, as he interpreted a government guideline issued on May 18 concerning follow-up work in the reservoir area.
The government will accelerate industrial restructuring, boost employment and expand social security coverage over relocated residents, according to the guideline.
More than 1 million people were relocated elsewhere in China. Shanghai accepted more than 7,000 people who are now living in Fengxian District and Pudong News Area.
But many of them, mostly farmers and fishermen who have lived along the Yangtze River for generations, could not adapt to their new surroundings and moved back to their native land. They formed new communities in the Three Gorges area, causing damage to the ecosystem in the area, said Lu Yaoru, an expert with the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
Lu said the central government will have to allocate 170 billion yuan more for the project and most of the money will be spent for migrants.
However, some local governments were embezzling funds from the central government. In 2007, auditing authorities found 272 million yuan earmarked for relocation and aid had been misappropriated by Hubei and Chongqing governments to build office and residential buildings instead of solving migrants' employment and living problems.
The guideline also promised continued efforts to protect the environment, prevent geological disasters and minimize the project's impact on the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
About 1.35 million people have been relocated to make way for the world's largest hydroelectric dam on the Yangtze River in central China's Hubei Province since the project started in 1993. The main part of the dam was completed in May 2006.
The central government pledged to raise the living standards of relocated homes through economic investment in the reservoir area and cover everyone with the social security system by 2020, Xinhua reported today.
The smooth resettlement of relocated people and their well-being are key factors to determine if the project is successful or not, said Nie Weiguo, a senior official with the State Council Three Gorges Project Construction Committee, as he interpreted a government guideline issued on May 18 concerning follow-up work in the reservoir area.
The government will accelerate industrial restructuring, boost employment and expand social security coverage over relocated residents, according to the guideline.
More than 1 million people were relocated elsewhere in China. Shanghai accepted more than 7,000 people who are now living in Fengxian District and Pudong News Area.
But many of them, mostly farmers and fishermen who have lived along the Yangtze River for generations, could not adapt to their new surroundings and moved back to their native land. They formed new communities in the Three Gorges area, causing damage to the ecosystem in the area, said Lu Yaoru, an expert with the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
Lu said the central government will have to allocate 170 billion yuan more for the project and most of the money will be spent for migrants.
However, some local governments were embezzling funds from the central government. In 2007, auditing authorities found 272 million yuan earmarked for relocation and aid had been misappropriated by Hubei and Chongqing governments to build office and residential buildings instead of solving migrants' employment and living problems.
The guideline also promised continued efforts to protect the environment, prevent geological disasters and minimize the project's impact on the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
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