Three Gorges edges toward capacity
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Plans to raise the water level of China's Three Gorges reservoir to its 175-meter maximum are back on track, said a statement issued by the China Three Gorges Corporation Tuesday.
The water level hit 171 meters Tuesday after dropping to 170 meters on Nov. 1, said the statement.
Before the rise, reports by Caijing magazine and other media had suggested the corporation had suspended raising the water level because of concerns about the risks of landslides.
The 185-meter-deep reservoir is designed with a maximum water level of 175 meters.
Dam authorities had been increasing water storage since Sept. 15, with the goal of reaching the maximum 175 meters by early November.
The plan was disrupted by increased water discharges to relieve a drought along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, causing the water level to drop and remained around there for more than half a month, according to the statement.
Snow and rain that had swept across much of China this month contributed to the rise by increasing the water inflow, the statement said.
The chance of reaching full capacity within the year was very slim as water flowing into the reservoir has fallen year on year by 30 to 50 percent and the drought in east and central China was worsening.
With full water capacity, the project would be capable of generating the maximum amount of electricity at 100 billion KWh a year, said Li Yong'an, general manager of China Three Gorges Corporation.
A full reservoir would also increase the volume of the Yangtze River, allowing 10,000-tonne ships to sail to central China's Chongqing Municipality and cut transportation costs by 35 to 37 percent.
It would also allow more water for January to March when droughts were expected to worsen in downstream areas, Li said.
Landslide risks had been taken into consideration in the design of the dam, said Wu Faquan, a geologist with Chinese Academy of Sciences, in September.
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