Construction begins on big hydro project

(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-11-27 08:38

CTGPC President Li Yong'an said his company will implement new resettlement regulations issued by the State Council, which prescribe higher compensation for affected people.

At least 8,000 people have already left the site where construction started, according to Xu Junxin, another executive in charge of resettlement for the project.

Apart from the Xiangjiaba and Xiluodu projects, China plans to build 12 hydropower stations in the water-rich middle and lower reaches of the 2,300-kilometre-long Jinsha River by 2020, according to Wei Xikan, deputy chief of the planning and development department of CTGPC.

In response to concerns that the projects would affect the natural habitats of wild pandas, Yu Jianqiu, vice-director of the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Centre, said that investigations had found that most of the concerns were "unfounded."

All the projects were built or are planned on the Yangtze mainstream, far from the giant panda habitats, Yu said.

The Mamize Natural Reserve, the closest habitat, is about 50 kilometres from the Xiluodu project, Yu said.

Yangtze tributaries Xining River and Xisujiao River are the main water sources for Mamize, said Gyina Guqe, chief of the natural reserve.

"When completed, the hydropower station will slightly raise the water levels of the two tributaries and the humidity of the natural reserve will also rise," said Gyina, adding that this will help the growth of the subtropical wildlife in the area, especially the 12,000 hectares of bamboos that giant pandas feast on.

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