The water level in the Three Gorges reservoir reached the 148-meter mark on Monday, a rise of 12.5 meters since September 20 when the amount of water flowing downstream was reduced.

 

The water level is currently being raised from 135.5 to 156 meters. More than 6 billion cubic meters of water have been added to the Three Gorges reservoir since September 20 when one of the 13 power-producing generators was shut down to reduce water flowing downstream. It now holds 18.6 billion cubic meters of water.

 

Water is continuing to flow downstream of the Three Gorges Dam at a rate of 17,500 cubic meters per second.

 

"The dam has been in a stable condition during the process of water storage," said a spokesman with the China Three Gorges Project Corporation (CTGPC).

 

Low water levels have been reported in many hydrological stations in the middle and lower reaches of the river, which led to slow progress for water storage, Zhao Yunfa, a deputy chief engineer with the CTGPC, said.

 

The water level is predicted to reach 156 meters between October 15 and October 20, he said. It will eventually rise to 175meters.

 

With a budget of 203.9 billion yuan (US$25.5 billion), the gigantic Three Gorges Project will have a reservoir with a capacity of 39.3 billion cubic meters and produce 84.7 billion kw/h of electricity annually, when it is completed in 2009.

 

(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2006)