The resettled people in the dam area have less arable land per capita than the national average and a higher unemployment rate, he said.

Nearly 1.3 million people will have been relocated to make way for the world's biggest hydropower project by next year, when the water level in the submerged 660-km stretch is expected to rise to 175 m. So far, 1.25 million of the displaced people have been resettled.

Wang also said much work needed to be done to curb pollution and control geological disasters around the dam, although the environmental and geological impact of the dam has been less than originally forecast.

"After all, such a massive hydropower project is bound to have some ecological and geological impact," he said, adding that measures should be taken to address any potential problems that may arise.

The water quality along several stretches of the Three Gorges Dam area is worsening even though the main body of water is slightly cleaner than in the past, the State Environmental Protection Administration said in a statement last month.

Meanwhile, fears have been growing that water from the world's largest hydropower project will strain shores and trigger landslides once the water behind the dam reaches its maximum height.

To meet future challenges, Wang said, the State Council will unveil a post-project development blueprint for the Three Georges dam area.

The blueprint will outline a long-term plan for aiding relocated people, ecological and environment protection, controlling geological disasters and building transport facilities in the dam area.

(China Daily March 18, 2008)