A Chinese official called the Three Gorges Dam a "failure," saying that the project had failed to consider its impact on the environment and has contributed to lower water levels in bodies downstream.While parts of central and southern China are suffering from severe droughts as water levels continue to fall across the country and fish stocks dwindle, a devastating drought in the north and the pollution of the Yellow River--so thick that the river can no longer serve as a drinking supply--has threatened the nation's farmland. The drought, the worst in 50 years, is severely impacting the country; 1,333 hectares of wetlands east of the Dongting Lake have dried up, and migrant bird populations are shrinking, while the Yangtze has seen its lowest rainfall since 1961. The Chinese plan is to divert six trillion gallons of water from the Yangtze to Beijing and other northern cities, a move that could cost $62 billion, force the relocation of hundreds of thousands of villagers, and severely affect the ecology of southern bodies of water. For the full story, seehttp://www.shanghaidaily.com/nsp/National/2011/06/02/The%2BThree%2BGorges%2BDam%2Bfailure/and http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/03/world/asia/03china.html?_r=1&ref=world. For the diversion project, see http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/02/world/asia/02water.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1&seid=auto&smid=tw-nytenvironment. For the environmental effects of the drought, see http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-06/03/c_13909416.htm.