Experts from the China Earthquake Networks Center(CENC) confirmed that the Three Gorges Dam Project had nothing to do with the powerful earthquake that struck southwest China's Sichuan Province on Monday afternoon.

Liu Ruifeng, a chief engineer from CENC, told media that the earthquake fault line, a crack between two tectonic plates, is 300 kilometers long and stretches northeast from the epicenter.

He added that the earthquake occurred in an earthquake zone and was followed by hundreds of aftershocks, which added to the difficulties of the rescue work. The Center has already launched a first-degree emergency plan to keep close watch on the further repercussions of the quake and provide helpful information to the disaster-relief work.

There are seven national earthquake stations and forty-five regional earthquake stations in Sichuan Province. CENC made its first report three minutes after the earthquake occurred, and an official report came out seven minutes later. “Without the use of digitalization this would be mission impossible. 32 years ago in Tangshan, it took hours to locate the epicenter”, said Liu.

Liu also refuted a rumor that the Three Gorges Dam Project should be blamed for the earthquake. “The Three Gorges reservoir has nothing to do with the earthquake at all”, he said. “It is a result of the internal action of the earth’s crust.”

Liu’s viewpoint was supported by Sun Shihong, a researcher also with the Center, “Our research makes clear that there is no connection between the earthquake and the water storage of the Three Gorges reservoir. The project is also a very long way from Wenchuan County.”

(China.org.cn by Xiang Bin, May14, 2008)