Special Report: Three Gorges Project

    BEIJING, Sept. 24 -- The Three Gorges Dam will be thoroughly tested by the elements during next summer's flood season, when it will have to hold back water up to one hundred seventy meters deep. The final stages of construction are underway to finish the massive lock-gates.     

    The southern sluice gates are emptied for a thorough clean-up. All surfaces within the gates are washed before concrete is poured in.

    Once they are completed, sills at the base will be raised by another 8 meters to help hold back the huge increase in water. Electrical equipment will also be installed.

    Engineers are also working hard to meet the challenge of lifting the second 800-ton gate that will form part of the massive navigation lock system.     

    All the southern and northern gates must be completed before the flood season next July, so the project is seen as a race against time.

    Meanwhile, a massive pressure-resistant container has been built to protect the world's first hydro-observatory when the area is flooded.

    The project to protect the 12-hundred-year old observatory began three years ago. It includes the construction of a museum on land and a transit tunnel. Both the observatory and tunnel will be 20 meters under water when the reservoir is full.

    (Source: CCTV.com)