The environmental condition of the area at the Three Gorges dam
on the Yangtze River has improved, according to Liu Fuyin, director
of the resettlement bureau of west China's Chongqing
Municipality.
Speaking at a recent meeting of the municipal people's congress,
Liu said the local government had made achievements in
environmental protection of the area and prevention of geological
disasters.
Liu said the government of Chongqing Municipality had
constructed 19 sewage treatment plants on the Three Gorges'
Chongqing section and 13 refuse dumps.
The government also increased re-forestation around the Three
Gorges, converting 191,000 hectares of over-exploited farmland into
forest, said Liu.
The Chinese government had invested 4 billion yuan (US$484
million), from 2001 to 2003, in the prevention and control of
geological disasters in the area, establishing a monitoring system,
he said.
The local government had set up 108 special monitoring stations,
he said.
The Three Gorges is one of China's most famous scenic spots.
Yichang of Hubei Province, where the Three Gorges project is
located, received 7.1 million tourists in 2001, including 230,000
from abroad.
(Xinhua News Agency January 11, 2004)