2002 is the second year of the three-year battle to tackle the most difficult tasks in the Three Gorges Project as well as a critical period for water storage in the second stage of the Project. Major annual control targets were achieved on the whole and image targets of different stages were realized on or ahead of schedule.

In 2002, monitoring was carried out according to plans by the ecological and environmental monitoring network of the Yangtze River Three Gorges Project. Monitoring results indicated that:

Social and economic development in the reservoir area was rapid with the Gross Domestic Production (GDP) increasing by 11.0% compared with the previous year. The industrial structure was further optimized with accruements in the second and tertiary industries increasing in terms of their proportions in the GDP. People living in the reservoir area saw improvement in their living standards and the public health was generally normal. Settlement of migrants, restructuring of relocated enterprises and protection of the environment all went on smoothly.

In 2002, the overall ecological situation of the Three Gorges reservoir area remained unchanged generally. The climate was relatively warm, with normal or relatively much precipitation in most areas. Rainfall in the flood season was normal, but temporally and spatially unbalanced. Water quality of key fishery water bodies was good on the whole, while some areas were polluted to some extent; total amount of natural fishing rose to certain degree. Restructuring of agricultural industry was strengthened. With acceleration in farmland reversion to forest and grassland, the area of farmland was reduced in a large number and backup wasteland appropriate for agriculture was in short. Agricultural production still focused on grains; soil fertility of farmland decreased, but its heavy metal content was at the normal level. Orange production was not influenced

In 2002, earthquake activities in the Three Gorges reservoir area were at the normal level and earthquake intensity was weaker compared with that of the previous year. In Yiling, Zigui, Xingshan and Badong-districts and counties in the Three Gorges reservoir area under the jurisdiction of Hubei Province there were 199 places with geographic disasters of landslips and collapses. Early warning of geographic disasters monitoring was initiated in an all-round way, which successfully forecasted collapses, landslips and mud-rock flows in 38 places. Geographic disasters treatment of the reservoir area was sped up and going on smoothly on the whole.

In 2002, the eco-environmental experimental stations achieved periodical results in monitoring research.

In 2002, various types of pollutants discharged from key industrial sources that discharge wastewater directly into the Yangtze River increased by 23.8% compared with the previous year, with major pollutions being COD and amania nitrogen. The total amount of urban wastewater discharged directly into the Yangtze River was 0.319 billion tons with major pollutants being total phosphorus, BOD₅ and COD. Vessel oil wastewater treatment rate was 92.6%; vessel pollution accidents occurred 20 times in the whole year, about 50% less than the previous year and with no vital or big accidents happening. Total application amount of fertilizers and pesticides in the reservoir area decreased and the use of low poisonous pesticides such as organic nitrogen increased. However, fertilizers were still not used with a rational ratio.

In 2002, water quality of the Three Gorges reservoir area of the Yangtze River was fairly good on the whole, mostly at or superior to Grade III and relatively inferior in the flood season. Overall environmental quality of the construction area was good.