Fong Tak-Ho
South China Morning Post
May 13, 2002
Engineers on the Three Gorges Dam are working to fix cracks which have appeared in some parts of the wall, the deputy chief of the project said.

Guo Tao, deputy general manager of the China Yangtze Three Gorges Project Development Corporation, said during a tour of the dam site last week that cracks between 0.2mm and 1.3mm wide and up to 2.5 metres deep were discovered in December. Mr Guo’s account of the incident differed from a previous report in the Guangdong-based Nanfengchuan, which claimed some of the cracks were up to two metres wide.

But Mr Guo said that report was “sheer fabrication”.

He also denied the cracks were the result of shoddy construction. He said most of the cracks developed because of temperature changes during the winter.

The corporation met 17 construction experts last month to try to solve the problem and it was decided the cracks would not affect the overall dam structure.

Mr Guo said that to allay public fears, engineers had to ensure that when they fixed the cracks the quality of the workmanship would be above international safety standards.

Workers have begun to grout the cracks and apply a new coating which is more flexible.

Another layer of protective material is being applied over the cracks and the coating will be covered by a concrete layer for extra protection.

The firm said mainland and overseas experts would conduct two inspections every year.

Mr Guo also disputed claims the dam will cause pollution problems when part of the reservoir is filled next year.

He said the corporation had notified all contractors that they had to report any potential risks to the environment.

But serious concerns about the environmental impact of the dam linger, as the area that will be filled covers at least 178 rubbish dumps, some of which contain toxic waste.