Three Gorges Reservoir

Three Gorges Reservoir – Brief Introduction

Three Gorges Reservoir is an artificial lake formed after the construction of Three Gorges Dam. It covers an area of 1084 square kilometers, including 21 cities and counties in Hubei Province and Chongqing. Its maximum water level after the water storage is 175 meters. The water storage capacity of the large-scale artificial lake reaches 39.3 billion cubic meters.

Three Gorges Reservoir – Submerged Area

The construction of the worldly famous Three Gorges Dam formed the Three Gorges Reservoir. With the water impoundment of Three Gorges Dam, 2 cities, 11 counties and 1711 villages were submerged under the water. More than 150 state-level cultural and historical sites were submerged and relocated. Totally 0.8462 million people at Three Gorges Reservoir Area were influenced by the water storage and about 1.13 million people were relocated.

More than 150 state-level cultural and historical sites at Three Gorges Reservoir Area were submerged and relocated. High mountains changed to islands, such as White Emperor City and Shibaozhai. Though a large number of scenic sites were submerged by the water, the water impoundment of Three Gorges Reservoir also adds some new attractions to Three Gorges. Visitors take a Yangtze cruise could enjoy the rare landscape of "mirror-like lake arises from high mountains and gorges" wrote by Chairman Mao.

Three Gorges Reservoir – Unsolved Problems

In May 2011, the State Council pointed that there are some problems unsolved while Three Gorges Dam is generating great comprehensive benefits. More importance should be attached to the ecological environment protection, geological disaster prevention and control. Measures should be adopted to deal with the negative influence for the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River brought by the water impoundment of Three Gorges Reservoir.