Cracks found at the giant Three Gorges Dam located along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River in central China could cause leaks if not fixed, officials said yesterday in Beijing.

Inspectors have found about 80 cracks in the dam's surface, said Pan Jiazhong, head of the expert control panel of the Three Gorges Project Construction Committee.

He said that while they weren't a threat to the dam's safety, they could expand and cause leaking if not repaired.

"If water enters these cracks, there could be negative effects, so we are fixing them very carefully," Pan said at a news conference.

But Pan said the massive Three Gorges Dam is secure and no penetrating fissures that could potentially undermine the overall structure have been detected.

The fine, superficial cracks already discovered will not have an impact on the structural security of the project as a whole, according to Pan.

He explained that some of the cracks had formed as a result of improper protection measures for the dam surface during the winter, while others were caused by design problems.

According to Pan, all of the 80-plus cracks had undergone comprehensive restoration to eliminate potential security risks.

The gigantic reservoir began storing water on June 1 and reached the target level of 135 meters on Tuesday, five days ahead of schedule. The permanent locks of the dam will open for navigation on a trial basis beginning on June 16.

Two powergenerating units will commence operations in August, marking the completion of the second phase of the project and the start of the third phase.

Pan said that, during the third phase, more efforts will be made to improve construction quality.

China is considering counter-terrorism measures for the dam, said Guo Shuyan, director of the office of the Three Gorges Project Construction Committee of the State Council, at the press conference.

"We don't think an attack (by terrorists) could bring a major disaster, but it could definitely inflict certain damage and losses to the dam," Guo said. "So we're considering this issue, including measures such as security checks on ships passing through the ship locks."

The government has moved some 720,000 people out of a total of 1.3 million who are to be relocated from areas due to be inundated by the reservoir, Guo said.

Dozens of towns and small cities have been flooded by the reservoir and 13 larger communities have been rebuilt on higher land with much improved facilities.

However, Guo said there isn't enough farmland for many of the farmers moved above the waterline.

"We're now studying how to make improvements in their living standards," Guo said. He said proposals include introducing fruit growing, tourism and animal raising.

Plans call for the reservoir's water level to rise to 175 meters. At that point, the reservoir will flood an area covering 632 square kilometers.

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