The environmental condition of the area at the Three Gorges dam on the Yangtze River has improved, according to Liu Fuyin, director of the resettlement bureau of west China's Chongqing Municipality.

Speaking at a recent meeting of the municipal people's congress, Liu said the local government had made achievements in environmental protection of the area and prevention of geological disasters.

Liu said the government of Chongqing Municipality had constructed 19 sewage treatment plants on the Three Gorges' Chongqing section and 13 refuse dumps.

The government also increased re-forestation around the Three Gorges, converting 191,000 hectares of over-exploited farmland into forest, said Liu.

The Chinese government had invested 4 billion yuan (US$484 million), from 2001 to 2003, in the prevention and control of geological disasters in the area, establishing a monitoring system, he said.

The local government had set up 108 special monitoring stations, he said.

The Three Gorges is one of China's most famous scenic spots. Yichang of Hubei Province, where the Three Gorges project is located, received 7.1 million tourists in 2001, including 230,000 from abroad.

(Xinhua News Agency January 11, 2004)