Three Gorges Dam at maximum capacity for first time

Water levels rose to the maximum capacity at China’s Three Gorges Dam Tuesday, allowing the dam to generate its full capacity of power since it opened two years ago, AP reported, citing a statement by the dam operator. The China Three Gorges Dam Project Corp. began holding back water in September to allow the dam resevoir to fill to its peak height of 175 meters and begin working toward the target of generating 84.7 billion kilowatt hours of energy per year. The rise in water levels has been criticized by some as increasing the risk of landslides. When officials tried to raise water levels a year ago, one town near Chongqing had to be evacuated after a 400-meter fissure appeared on a slope above residents’ homes.