(January 20, 2006) Demolition of the Three Gorges cofferdam on May 1 has not caused a water-level rise near the main dam, engineers said, adding, however, that some scenic spots will be submerged when the reservoir is filled to 135 metres in June 2003.

Yichang: The shipping and scenic areas at the Three Gorges are not yet affected as the demolition of the cofferdam upstream of the main dam on May 1 has not caused a rise of the water level, engineers said Sunday. They said only when the water level of the reservoir reaches 135 meters in June 2003, will the water level in front of the dam be raised by 60 meters and some areas and scenic spots near the Three Gorges be submerged. The water level will be finally raised to 175 meters, but the plan will be carried out step by step: first to 135 meters in June2003 and then to 175 meters some time after the reservoir is proved to work smoothly, said experts with the China Yangtze Three Gorges Project Development Corporation. Hydrological statistics indicate that currently the water levelin front of the dam is 68 meters, and water passes through introductory channels, which will be intercepted this November. The dam is expected to reserve 12.4 billion cubic meters of water from June 2003, which will allow vessels through the lock gates and enable the first generating units to produce electricity. The Three Gorges project was launched in 1993 and will be finished in 2009 with a planned reservoir capacity of 39.3 billioncubic meters.

Xinhua news agency, January 20, 2006