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DAM-L Three Gorges resettlement operation in need of attention (fwd)
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Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2001 16:33:17 -0400
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Subject: Three Gorges resettlement operation in need of attention
THREE GORGES PROBE
August 17, 2001
(1) Resettlement operation in need of attention, says
resettlement official
(2) Three Gorges geological disaster prevention unit set up
(3) Record low water levels cripple Gezhouba dam
(1) Resettlement operation in need of attention, says
resettlement official
During a recent inspection tour of Fuling City, Gan Yuping,
Vice-Mayor of Chongqing Municipality and the head of the
municipality's resettlement affairs, said the resettlement
operation required more attention in certain key areas,
reports Three Gorges Project Daily ? a China Three Gorges
Corporation publication. Among his recommendations, Gan
called for more studies on the impact Three Gorges dam reservoir
backwaters will have on Fuling, which, due to its location,
will be affected by backwaters when the water behind the dam
is raised to 135 metres and higher. Gan's other recommendations
included strengthening positive propaganda about resettlement to
offset some of the distorted reports published by foreign
media; the shutting down of illegal organizations involved with
resettlement; and a ban on local migrants conducting
interviews with foreign journalists without permission from the
authorities. The stability of the resettlement operation is everything
Gan said, and more attention needed to be given to migrants
increasingly seeking help from higher authorities as the date for
filling
the dam's reservoir draws near. Gan called for special attention to
three weak and marginalized migrant groups ? "secondary migrants,"
those displaced by the construction of new towns and infrastructure,
urban workers laid off by local enterprises, and urban resettlers who
have no job, no livelihood, and no work unit. Gan further advised
taking advantage of a decision by central and local governments to
direct more funds toward environmental protection in the reservoir
area, saying funds were also needed to build infrastructure and
facilities for wastewater treatment and rubbish disposal.
Gan Yuping is Vice-Mayor of Chongqing Municipality and
Vice-Director of the Three Gorges Project Construction
Committee based in Beijing.
Three Gorges Project Daily, or Sanxia gongcheng bao, is
available online at http://www.china3gorges.com.
(2) Three Gorges geological disaster prevention unit set up
China's central government plans to establish a Three Gorges
Geological Disaster Prevention Group with a budget of
US$500 million taken from the Three Gorges construction
fund, reports the Changjiang Water Resources Commission.
The initiative is largely due to Premier Zhu Rongji, the director
of the Three Gorges Project Construction Committee, and his
emphasis on preventing and dealing with geological disasters in
the Three Gorges reservoir area at a conference on the Three
Gorges dam project last month. Premier Zhu urged that priority
be given to areas where landslides, collapses and mud-rock flows
are likely to be triggered by the filling of the dam's reservoir.
According to a survey by the Changjiang Water Resources
Commission in July 2001, some 1,320 locations have been
identified as regions at risk in the Three Gorges area. In urban
Yichang alone, 202 such regions have been identified, including
landslides covering a total area of 23.1 square kilometres, some
141 of which require urgent attention.
(3) Record low water levels cripple Gezhouba dam
The Changjiang Water Resources Commission reports that
the Gezhouba dam recorded its lowest discharge in July due
to record low water levels in the Yangtze. Located 38
kilometres downstream from the Three Gorges dam, the
Gezhouba dam's discharge plummeted to an all-time low of
10,000 cubic metres per second on July 24 when the Yangtze
dipped to its lowest recorded level since 1877. This year's
record low is particularly abnormal for July, typically the
height of China's flooding season, and has management
worried it will reduce the dam's annual revenue, a major source
of funding for the Three Gorges dam project. According to a
report published by the China News Service, the Gezhouba
dam's low water level is due to a lack of rainfall in the area this
year.
Changjiang Water Resources Commission, or Changjiang
shuili weiyuanhui, web site: http://www.cjw.com.cn (in Chinese).
- END -
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