China plans to relocate 4m people from the hillsides around the Three Gorges
Dam, to stave off an environmental disaster.
The river is silting up due to the reduced flow of water, while the residue of human and industrial waste gathering behind the dam is causing water quality to deteriorate.
Of most immediate concern is erosion, with the hillsides suffering a series of landslides and the Three Gorges Reservoir's shoreline collapsing in more than 90 places.
1.4 million people have so far been moved from 116 cities and towns flooded by
the dam. Unofficial estimates say another 500,000 people may have been affected.
Relocation for the reservoir itself proved one of the most politically sensitive
issues, with repeated clashes between local officials, police and villagers.
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