The central government has for the first time acknowledged downsides to the Three Gorges Project…the State Council said the project had played a key role in flood prevention and power generation, but admitted it had caused severe problems to the environment, shipping, agricultural irrigation and water supplies in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, an area of 633,000 square kilometers shared by eight provinces…China Three Gorges Corporation (CTGPC), the dam's managing body, has been ordered to increase flows to lower reaches to help curb the drought. The corporation resorted to the same measure in early 2010, which resulted in drought for the river's upper reaches, affecting people in Chongqing, the Xinhua News Agency reported...