China plans to build 20 more sewage disposal plants in the Three Gorges Reservoir area in central Hubei Province on the Yangtze River to further improve water quality in the reservoir, official sources said on Friday.

According to a 10-year plan on water pollution prevention in the reservoir area, China will invest 10 billion yuan (US$1.23 billion) in water pollution control, said Huang Mao, deputy head of the leading group in charge of water pollution control at the Three Gorges Reservoir area of Hubei Province.

These projects will be built in Zigui, Xingshan, Badong, Yuan'an, Enshi and Lichuan counties in the reservoir area, Huang said.

Meanwhile, the province will build 20 garbage processing plantsin the next five years with an additional daily handling capacity of 1,000 tons.

The Three Gorges Project, which includes the reservoir, is a massive hydro-electric power project on the middle reaches of the Yangtze river. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2009.

China will invest 39.2 billion yuan (US$4.7 billion) inprojects to curb water pollution in the reservoir area and upper reaches of the Yangtze River by 2010.

The Three Gorges Project will help control flooding in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze. It will also generate hydro-electric power equivalent to 50 million tons of coal annually after generators are operating at full capacity.

(Xinhua News Agency December 31, 2005)