"This is not a proposal from local to central government, but a general plan the State Council is pushing forward. Therefore, it is very likely to be taken into action soon," Hu said.

Hu revealed the plan has been submitted to the State Council, and is expected to be carried out in 2010 and get its budget "that would be no less than the previous 40 billion yuan to compensate migrants during the dam-building period".

But one problem is that the new migrants will cause even more overcrowding in the area near the dam.

According to a 2009 survey conducted by the Chongqing Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), population density in the reservoir area has reached 338 people per sq km, which is 2.1 times the national average.

The report also said "land for industrial use is lacking."

Many people living in the submerged reservoir area reportedly have already relocated to neighboring provinces or cities downstream of the river.

Also, rampant geographic hazards threaten the reservoir area.

A survey by relevant authorities in 2007 found 9,324 sites were potentially threatened by geographic hazards, including 3,812 new ones that have emerged since 2003 because of water reserving and rainfalls, according to the latest report from the Chongqing committee of CPPCC.

The report said that since 2001, some 53,025 people have been resettled to avoid the hazards.

In addition, 243 dangerous geographic problems occurred around the Chongqing section of the reservoir area since 2008, the report said.

About 22,355 people have been affected by those cases, which caused 640 million yuan in damage, the report said.

In the next three years, bank slumps and landslides are likely, while the problem of bank slumps will continue for the next 20 years, the report said.

The Jiusan Society yesterday also proposed during the annual session of the Chongqing committee of the CPPCC to create a new mechanism that prevents and mitigates hazards.

"The incumbent mechanism lacks foresight and focus. It remedies rather than prevents," said Chen Hongkai, a member of the advising body who led the drafting of the proposal.