BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Deputy director of the China National Climate Center (CNCC) Luo Yong said on Wednesday that the Three Gorges Dam could not be blamed for the drought in SW China's Sichuan Province.

"Against the backdrop of global warming, abnormal atmospheric circulation is the direct cause of the extremely high temperatures," said Luo.

The deputy director said that over the past 50 years China had seen more frequent extreme climate phenomena such as the severe drought which hit southwest China and the 330,000 tons of sand which fell on Beijing overnight last year.

"Extreme climate phenomena are not unique to China. They are global phenomena," he said.

The global warming effect can easily be perceived in areas at middle and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, said Luo.

"Drought also hit the country's northern areas last spring," said the deputy director. "In the southwest, it not only affected Sichuan and Chongqing which lie near the Three Gorges, but also hit Yunnan Province and affected Tibet and Guangxi autonomous regions," he added.

Last summer, the worst drought in half a century hit the city of Chongqing and Sichuan Province, affecting the drinking water for millions of people. Some people pointed the finger at the Three Gorges Dam project, saying the reservoir's water storage affected the flow of the Yangtze River and had aggravated the drought.

"Obviously we cannot blame the Three Gorges for the drought," Luo said.

The Three Gorges Project is built on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River with a 185-meter-high dam. The entire project is designed to have 26 generators and will be finished in 2009.