Last Three Gorges town is evacuated

The last town to be submerged by the reservoir that sits above the Three Gorges Dam has been evacuated, according to state media reports released on Wednesday. The dismantling of 988 households in Gaoyang, a town in the central province of Hubei, brings to an end a four-year process that has seen around 1.4 million people relocated, the Wall Street Journal reported. It means authorities can now move ahead with raising the water level in the reservoir, which currently stands at 156 meters above sea level, to its maximum height of 175 meters. This task is expected to be completed next year. Millions more people will be encouraged to move away from the edge of the reservoir – officials say the area has poor soil and has become overcrowded with migrants – to the city of Chongqing, 640 kilometers west of the dam.