The Chinese government has decided to take effective measures to cope with the environmental hazards in the Three Gorges Project areas by 2020, according to a Cabinet meeting held Wednesday.

The government will properly handle the negative impacts brought by the project to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and improve the long-term mechanism of geographical disaster prevention, said a statement released after an executive meeting of the State Council, which was presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao.

The government will also step up efforts to preserve the ecological environment and promote biological diversity in the areas influenced by the world's largest hydro-power complex, according to the statement.