Navigation on the Three Gorges reservoir is being affected by huge belts of floating rubbish, some hundreds of meters long. 

Successive intensive rainfall has made the water level of the Three Gorges reservoir dramatically rise and rushed down a great number of branches, weeds and rubbish into the main navigation channel, causing some navigation blocks.

Last Wednesday, a high speed ship was blocked, as its propeller blades became entwined with floating rubbish, and all passengers were forced to board another ship.

The Maritime Safety Administration appealed to relevant departments to clear the floating rubbish as soon as possible in a bid to guarantee navigation safety in the three Gorges reservoir.

(CRI.com June 11, 2004)