A ground station to monitor flooding, drought and the ecological environment in the Three Gorges reservoir area has been completed in Badong County of central China's Hubei Province.

As construction continues on the world's largest hydro-electricpower project at the Three Gorges on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, people's concern is mounting over the negative impact that the work may have on the ecology in the river, especially in the gorge area. The project, with an estimated price tag of 203.9 billion yuan, includes the building of a 1,983-meter long and 185-meter high demand installation of 26 generating units with a combined generating capacity of 18.2 million kw and an annual output of 84.7 billion kwh. Added to that, 1.2 million local residents are to be relocated from their homes in the gorge area.

Situated among the Three Gorges and the upstream the Three Gorges Dam, Badong County has the most complex terrain along the Yangtze and endures regular mudslides and landslides.

The new station, financed by the Yangtze River Water Conservation Committee, is meant to help speed up the work of construction and relocation of people inside the Three Gorges reservoir area, improving the environment in the area, and preventing natural disasters.

Equipped with advanced technologies including aero-remote sensing and telemetry, the station can provide scientific data and experimental results to programs such as surveys on the eco-environment in the reservoir area, land planning, topographical surveys for major construction projects, as well as post-disaster evaluation.