Workers at the Three Gorges Reservoir have disposed of more than 5,000 tons of garbage and 1,000 tons of oil in the first 11 months of this year, up 11 percent and 15 percent in the correspondence period last year respectively, official said.

More than 1,000 tons of waste left by 1,500 ships have been disposed of, up 15 percent up from last year, said official of Changjiang Maritime Safety Administration.

The reservoir has been equipped with a 2,440 meter-long boom to contain oil and six oil skimmers. There are 17 garbage disposal plants in operation and five more will be built this year.

The water level in the reservoir reached the 156-meter mark on October 27 and will eventually reach 175 meters in 2009, when the Three Gorges project is finally completed.

The Three Gorges Project, including a 2,309-meter-long, 185-meter-high dam, housing 26 generators, is being built in three phases on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. The dam is now producing power and aiding flood-control and river navigation.