NAVIGATION IMPROVEMENT

At present,the 660 km waterway between Chongqing and Yichang cuts through hills and mountain gorges with a 120-meter drop and 139 dangerous shoals and rapids,46 one- way sections, 25 locations where large fully-loaded freighters need winching and the annual one- way shipping capacity is less than 10 million tons. The completion of the project will substantially improve the navigation conditions on the river above the dam,with the navigation channel broadened to an average of 1,100 meters,enabling 10, 000 tons to sail all the way from Shanghai to Chongqing.This improvement can lead to an annual increase in one-way shipping capacity to 50 million tons and a cut in the shipping cost by 37‰ ,creating conditions for boosting the economy of the Southwest,Central as well as East China.

OTHER BENEFITS

Aquaculture

 The 175-meter-high dam will help to form a huge reservoir of 1,150 km .Apart from waterway,there is still 700km of water surface. The flow velocity will be slower and the water will be clearer, more nutritious and warmer in the surface layer,which will make a vast fresh water aquaculture base for raising shrimps. shellfish,fishes,geese,ducks and crabs.Consequently,the formation of the reservoir will result in rapid development of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, sideline production as well as fishery on both banks of the reservoir.

 Tourism

After completion,the water level behind the dam will be raised by 110 meters.Though some scenic spots and places of historical interests such as QuYuan Temple, Zhang Fei Temple and several sites or stone inscription will be submerged,the scenery on the whole will remain as magnificent,unique and mysterious as ever. Besides, careful plans have been made to remove or rebuild the ones to be submerged. The mountains that flank Qutang Gorge and Wuxia Gorge, for example, reach more than 1,000 meters above sea level, and the water level enhancement there will only be about 38-46 meters respectively.The formation of the artificial lakes among spectacular mountains will only add to the beauty of the Three Gorges because a lot of of new scenic spots will turn up and dozens of scenic spots scattered along the Three Gorges will be more easily accessible. These include the Dazu Stone Sculpture, the Gaolan scenic area covered with an ocean of pine tress,the Minor Three Gorges along the Daning River, Shennongjia nature reserve, Shennong Brook, Gezi River Stone Forest as well as the two modern wonders-the Gezhouba Dam and the Three Gorges Dam.That's why the future Three Gorges, a combination of natural beauty,ancient cultural relics and historical sites as well as modern miracles,will intoxicate travellers from all over the world.