The Three Gorges reservoir area has become the safest cruising area on the Yangtze River, the longest in China, said sources with the Yangtze water authorities.

The number of shipping accidents at the Three Gorges dam area last year decreased by 40 percent, and that of collisions dropped by 65 percent from 2002, when construction on the dam began.

Over 180,000 ships have gone through the dam area since the dam began to store water in 2003, said the water traffic regulator.

Equipped with advanced technology, the dam handled water traffic with an improved traffic order and safety record on China's most important waterway.

As one of the world's biggest hydroelectric projects, the Three Gorges Project, which began construction in 1993, is still underway. The level of water stored in the reservoir will rise from present 135 meters to 156 meters by coming May.

The dam is designed to have a length of 2,309 meters and will hold water at a height of 185 meters upon its total completion in 2009.

(Xinhua News Agency March 16, 2006)