The Chinese government recently announced that it would take effective measures to curb environmental deterioration in the Three Gorges Project areas by 2020. A statement from China’s State Council, or cabinet, marked a rare acknowledgment of the issues that have overshadowed the world’s largest dam, an engineering feat designed to tame the Yangtze River that flows from the Tibetan plateau down to Shanghai. The main body of the Three Gorges Dam, which is located in the town of Sandouping in central China’s Hubei Province, was completed in May 2006 after 17 years of construction. The project generated more than 440 billion kwh of electricity by the end of 2010 and started operations in 2003. The project has played a significant role in flood prevention, power generation, shipping and water resources use. According to a Government statement the Three Gorges project provides huge comprehensive benefits “but urgent problems must be resolved regarding the smooth relocation of residents, ecological protection, and geological disaster prevention.” Premier Wen Jiabao presided over the meeting that produced the statement, which also said problems existed for down-river transport, irrigation and water supplies. Problems emerged at various stages of project planning and construction but could not be solved immediately, and some arose because of “increased demands brought on by economic and social development,” the statement explained. The government also announced that it would continue to address the problems caused by the dam, and vowed to set-up disaster alert systems and increased funding for environmental protection. The dam has cost over 254 billion yuan (around USD37.47 billion) and forced the relocation of 1.3 million people in Chonqqing Municipality and Hubei Province to make way for construction of the project. Towns, fields and historical and archaeological sites have been submerged, and in their place pollution and geological threats have arisen around the 660km reservoir. The announcement also included the need to curb water pollution in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, which affects eight provinces with an area of 633,000 square-kilometers. The area is also the nation’s most densely populated, which means significant environmental pressure. The statement also includes the acknowledgement that efforts should be made to increase oversight and control of the water pollution to ensure the safety of the drinking water. During the meeting, the government also pledged to raise the standard of living for relocated residents through economic restructuring and improvements in the areas’ infrastructures, and ensure the social security system covers all urban and rural residents by 2020. Last year, China’s media started highlighting the issue of whether the dam could meet one if its long-term objectives of flood control and officials have since been playing down claims of its flood-taming abilities. According to Reuters, Dai Qing, an environmental activist who has opposed the Three Gorges project believes the damage caused by the dam is in some cases irreversible, and in other cases would require vast sums of money to resolve. “The most serious threat is that of geological disasters. Now that the dam is in place, no amount of money can fix the problem. It fundamentally cannot be resolved,” she said. Industry reports suggest that Premier Wen Jiabao and President Hu Jintao were not present at the opening ceremony for the dam because they were aware of the risks of the project. Launched in 1993 the Three Gorges Project is a multi-functional water control system, consisting of a dam, a five-tier ship dock and 26 hydropower turbo-generators. It is expected that by 2012, six more hydropower turbo-generators will be installed.