Chinese officials and experts have admitted the Three Gorges Dam project has caused an array of ecological ills, including more frequent landslides and pollution, and if preventive measures are not taken, there could be an environmental "catastrophe".
While the dam has served as a barrier against seasonal flooding threatening the lower reaches of the
All the participants in a two-day forum held in
They said the huge weight of the water behind the Three Gorges Dam had started to erode the Yangtze's banks in many places, which, together with frequent fluctuations in water levels, had triggered a series of landslides.
"If no preventive measures are taken, the project could lead to catastrophe," they said.
Tan Qiwei, vice mayor of
Frequent geological disasters have threatened the lives of residents around the reservoir area, said Huang Xuebin, head of the Headquarters for Prevention and Control of Geological Disasters in the Three Gorges Reservoir.
At the forum he described landslides around the reservoir that had produced waves as high as 50 meters, which crashed into the adjacent shoreline, causing even more damage.
Clear water discharged from the Three Gorges Dam has also threatened the safety of the protective embankments downstream, according to Hubei Vice Governor Li Chunming.
Both Tan and Li said the quality of water in the Yangtze tributaries had deteriorated and outbreaks of algae or aquatic weeds had become more common.
"We can by no means relax our vigilance against ecological and environmental security problems or profit from a fleeting economic boom at the cost of sacrificing the environment," said Wang Xiaofeng, director of the office of the Three Gorges Project Committee of the State Council.
The open discussion of the negative effects of the Three Gorges Dam comes a month after the Wall Street Journal reported on the rising concerns of landslides, pollution and flooding in the area.
It quoted environmental scientist Weng Lida, secretary general of the Yangtze River Forum, as saying, "We thought of all the possible issues. But the problems are all more serious than we expected."
Commenting on the newspaper report, Wang said he thought most of the statements were said out of a concern for the Three Gorges Project, but some of the phrasing did reflect ulterior motives.
But he also admitted, "The problems mentioned in the Wall Street Journal should merit adequate attention from all of us."
Wang said the Chinese government had also paid great attention to consequences in the wake of the construction of the Three Gorges Dam.
Wang revealed that during an executive meeting of the State Council held earlier this year regarding the key problems arising from the Three Gorges Project, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was said to have cited ecological and environmental woes as primary problems to be addressed.
While pledging to cooperate more with relevant central and local government departments in promulgating regulations for tightening management over the reservoir, Wang said comprehensive management measures would be taken to ensure the water in the Three Gorges Reservoir is clean.
"We have to make concerted efforts to attain the dual goals of constructing a first-rate hydraulic project and making it into a top-level showcase for the environment," said Wang, "we will work harder to turn the Three Gorges Reservoir Area into an environmentally-friendly society."
The government has invested heavily in programs designed to restore and conserve the ecology of the Three Gorges area in recent years, including 12 billion yuan (about 1.5 billion U.S. dollars) spent on trying to harness geological disasters such as landslides.
It has also closed or relocated 1,500 manufacturing ventures, constructed more than 70 sewage disposal and waste treatment plants and resettled about 70,000 people from disaster-prone areas.
The participants in the forum in
The Three Gorges Project, the world's largest water control facility, was launched in 1993, with a budget of 180 billion yuan (about 22.5 billion U.S. dollars). Located on the middle reaches of the
Seventeen turbines - 14 on the northern bank of the Gorges and three more on the southern bank - are now in operation. They produced 23.77 billion kwh of electricity in the first half of the year, 2.65 billion kwh more than the same period last year.
中国官员和专家们承认三峡大坝工程已经引起一连串生态危机，包括频繁塌方和环境污染，如果没有采取防范措施，这将是环境的一次大灾难。
政府官员说，大坝现已经做为防御长江中下游季节性洪涝灾害的威胁的屏障，并通过水力发电减少1000万吨二氧化碳排放。但是这种效益是以生态和环境为代价的。
星期二，为期两天的论坛在武汉举行，所有与会者都认为该工程自去年开展以来已经对周边600公里的三峡水库和长江沿线环境造成明显的负面影响。
他们说，三峡大坝截流大量的水，已经开始侵蚀长江堤岸许多地方，并且由于水位频繁的波动引发了一连串的塌方
他们说，如果不采取任何措施，该工程将导致灾难。
与三峡水库相邻的大都市是重庆，该市副市长说水库堤岸已经有91个地方坍塌,并造成了36公里塌陷。
三峡水库地质灾害问题的预测与防治中心主任Huang Xuebin说频繁的地质灾害已威胁到水库周围地区的居住的生物。
在论坛上，他说水库周围的塌方引起高达50米的波浪，波浪撞向相邻的堤岸，导致更大的损失。
据湖北副省长李春明说，三峡大坝清水排放同样威胁着下游堤防的安全。
谭和李都说长江支流水已经变质，藻类和水生植物暴发也更加常见。
王小峰说我们在生态和环境安全以及用环境为代价换取短暂的经济增长等方面问题决不能放松警惕.
华尔街杂志报导了三峡水坝区域日益关注的塌方，污染和洪涝。一个月后，关于三峡水坝负面效应的开放性讨论开展起来
引用环境科学家长江论坛秘书长翁立达的说，我们考虑了所有可能问题，但是问题的严重性超过了我们的想象。
在新闻评论报道上王说他认为大部分的言论是出于三峡工程的关注，但是一些言论是别有用心的。
但他也承认华尔街杂志提到的问题应引起我们所有人的足够的重视。
王说中国政府也非常关注三峡水坝建设所造成的后果。
王批露说，今年早些时候由国务院主持了关于三峡工程主要问题的行政会议，会上中国总理温家宝说，要把生态和环境污染作为主要问题来解决。
王说，我们将通过颁布法令确保中央和地方政府相关部门来加强对水库的管理， 采取综合管理措施，确保三峡水库水质。
王说，我们必须一同努力来实现一流水力工程建设和高水平的环境保护这一双目标。我们将更加努力使三峡水库区域环境更加和谐。
近年来，政府在该项目投入大量资金，恢复和保存三峡区域的生态。其中包括旨在防治类似塌方的地质灾害而花费的120亿人民币（约合15亿美圆）。
政府还关掉了和重新安置了1500家制造企业，建造了70多家垃圾废品处理厂，重新安置的受灾地区人口约7万人次．
武汉的论坛与会者呼吁建立三峡地区预防和控制地质灾害的长期机制,禁止在三峡水库区域围池养鱼，防止过量养分使水质恶化。
世界最大的水控制设施三峡工程1993年开始动工，预计耗资1800亿人民币（约合225亿美圆）。在2006年年初，位于长江中游的185米高的大坝和五层高的船闸建造完成。这至少重新安置了至少120万人。
共有17台涡轮机在运作，其中14台在三峡北岸，三台在南岸。前半年发电237.7亿千瓦时，比去年同期多了26.5亿千瓦时。
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