Tian Fengshan, minister of land and resources, said on Saturday at a national meeting that the project would guarantee the safety of the dam and nearby residents.

His vice-minister Shou Jiahua said geological risk assessments had been completed in 19 of the 20 counties due to be submerged, covering more than 6,200 sites.

Geological disasters such as landslides are frequent in the Three Gorges reservoir area.

Since 1982, more than 70 have occurred in the region, killing more than 400 people.

The Three Gorges Reservoir is expected to fill from June 1.

By June 15, water levels will rise to 135 metres. By 2009, they will reach 175 metres when the gigantic project will be complete.

According to Shou, the rise in water levels could erode or destabilize soil and rock in the area.

The disaster prevention scheme, which began in June 2001, aims to expose and remedy these problems in advance.

"Geological disasters cannot be totally avoided in the region, but we have prepared thoroughly to minimize damage from any possible disasters," said Shou.

Assessing and monitoring geological hazards in the Three Gorges Dam region is the ministry's top disaster prevention priority this year.

Shou called for more work to be done to identify potential landsides or other dangers before the dam fills.

The colossal Three Gorges project will start generating power in August. Four power plants, capable of delivering a total of 5.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, will come on line this year.

The massive scheme in the western part of Yichang in Central China's Hubei Province consists of a 2,309-metre-long, 185-metre-tall dam, and 26 generating units with a combined capacity of 18.2 million kilowatts.

Upon completion in 2009, the project will be able to generate 84.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.

(China Daily April 7, 2003)