The Three Gorges Hydropower Project, the world's largest, is ready to store record amount of water after the summer flood season, when the clean-up at the dam area has passed the state appraisal, according to the project regulator.

Sources with the State Council Three Gorges Project Construction Committee said on Monday that the quality of the clean-up work has met the state objective and requirements.

The reservoir is ready to hold water to the level of 156 meters from preset mark of 135 meters, which has been maintained since the reservoir began to store water in June 2003.

By the end of June, workers have demolished buildings with a total floor space of 9.2 million square meters at the area to be submerged, and cleared up 133,356 sources of pollution and 1.5 million tons of solid waste.

Meanwhile, China has spent 10 million yuan (US$1.3 million) annually to prevent upstream garbage floating to the mammoth Three Gorges Dam since 2003 to ensure safe operation of the world's largest water control project.

The collection of floating garages in the reservoir was carried out in February this year. According to officials with the China Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development Corporation, the project undertaker, the garbage from the upstream of Yangtze River to the Three Gorges reservoir will come to 100,000-200,000 cubic meters annually.

The project involve two cities, namely Yichang City in Hubei Province and Chongqing Municipality in western China. The local environmental watchdogs are enhancing supervision on the quality of the reservoir water.

(Xinhua News Agency July 10, 2006)