Sept. 7, 2001 – An inside source reports the Chinese government is planning to channel a budget of US$2.5 billion to help treat water pollution in the Three Gorges reservoir over a 10-year period. Since the reservoir is expected to be filled by 2003, nearby work sites slated for flooding, such as factories, mines and hospitals – at risk from poisons kept on the premises – will be cleaned up first.

Sanxia gongcheng bao (Three Gorges Project Daily) published by the Yichang-based Three Gorges Project Corporation, reports that two groups have been established toward this end, one to develop a water pollution treatment strategy and the other to set up geological disaster prevention units. The groups will be headed by Xie Zhenghua, the Minister of the State Environmental Protection Administration, and Wang Fengshan, the Minister of Land and Resources, respectively. Members of the two groups will be drawn from the State Development Planning Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Construction, the Three Gorges Project Construction Committee, and the Three Gorges Project Resettlement Bureau.

Three Gorges Probe, September 25, 2001