Three Gorges Probe
January 18, 2001

January 17, 2001 — The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reports that about one-third of the people forced from their homes by the Three Gorges Dam project have said they are not satisfied with the locations chosen by the authorities. Based on reports from the official China news agency, Xinhua, about 300,000 residents of central and western China’s Chongqing municipality and Hubei province have been resettled. The figure will rise to 1.13 million by 2009 when the world’s largest hydro-electric project is due to be completed. Xinhua quoted senior officials in charge of the Three Gorges resettlement exercise as saying the move is “progressing smoothly”, people on the move are in a “stable mood”, and that all resettlement is being carried out voluntarily. But the officials admitted it had been tremendously difficult to meet the demands of a million “resettlers”, and that one-third were dissatisfied with the location chosen by the Government. As next year’s deadline for the completion of phase two was fast approaching, officials have called for the relocation process to be speeded up.

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Three Gorges Probe welcomes submissions. However, it is not a forum for political debate. Rather, Three Gorges Probe is dedicated to covering the scientific, technical, economic, social, and environmental ramifications of completing the Three Gorges Project, as well as the alternatives to the dam.

Publisher: Patricia Adams Executive Editor: Mu Lan Assistant Editor Lisa Peryman ISSN 1481-0913