The shift of a population the size of Ireland's over the next 10 to 15 years will be one of the biggest environmental resettlements in modern history. Yu Yuanmu, Chongqing city vice-mayor, said the move was necessary to protect the ecology of the 400-mile reservoir formed by the dam, according to Xinhua news agency.
"The reservoir area has a vulnerable environment and the natural conditions make large-scale urbanisation or serious overpopulation impossible here," he was quoted as saying. Under Chongqing's 2007-20 development plan more than 4 million people living near the reservoir will be encouraged to resettle in the city's suburbs, the Sina website reported. The move will add to population pressures in Chongqing, which is already one of China's fastest-growing cities, and raise new questions about the Three Gorges Dam. The barrier was designed to control floods on the Yangtze and to reduce China's reliance on coal-fired power stations.
More than 1.2 million people have already had to leave the area because of the world's biggest hydroelectric project. Initially hailed as an engineering triumph, officials warned last month of an "environmental catastrophe" with landslides and pollution among the "hidden dangers".