Provinces vow to clean up Huaihe
By Qin Yan (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-10-25 21:57

The governments of four provinces along the Huaihe River have promised to work hard to meet pollution control targets.

The four provinces -- Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong and Henan -- signed a paper pledging to cut pollution along the river with the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), which was entrusted by the State Council, according to the People's Daily.

The provinces have pledged to licence pollution discharges from next year, build more sewage treatment, collection and distribution facilities and curb agricultural pollution.

And, starting from next year, the four provincial governments will be required to account for their pollution control work to the SEPA.

The administration will then check if the provinces are fulfilling their pollution pledges and make a report to the State Council.

A State Council conference, attended by Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan, was held over the weekend in Bengbu, Anhui Province, where the four provinces made anti-pollution pledges.

Zeng told the conference that controls of over-polluting industries and enterprises in regions along the river should be strengthened, according to the People's Daily.

Both central and local governments should increase their investment in the construction of sewage treatment facilities and sewage collection and distribution systems, he said.

Non-government funds should be attracted to invest in the construction of sewage treatment plants and sewage collection and distribution systems, Zeng added.

The Huaihe river, the country's third-longest, supplies water for around 165 million people in Henan, Hubei, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces in Central and East China.

Given the serious pollution of the river, the central government launched a clean-up campaign ten years ago.

But pollution remains serious.

One of the latest examples was in late July, when unexpected rainstorms hit the upper reaches of the river in Central China and swelled a number of reservoirs, forcing them to discharge water simultaneously.

As a result, the accumulated polluted water created a dirty water zone that contaminated the river and rapidly moved downstream.

In Xuyi County, East China's Jiangsu Province, one of the worst affected regions, the incident killed 90 per cent of the county's aquatic products, causing losses of 310 million yuan (US$37 million), according to statistics from the local aquatic products bureau.

Qu Geping, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Environmental and Resources Conservation Committee, said last month that pollution control along the Huaihe is unsatisfactory because the river is managed separately by the four provinces.

He suggested that the entire river region be managed by the State Council.

Close

Today's Top News     Top China News
Powell told Hu: US opposes Taiwan independence         Population peak may hinder development         Mother-to-child HIV transmission tackled         Mine death toll rises to 86, hopes slim         Clinton helping Kerry turn out his voters         Property law secures ownership	Powell told Hu: US opposes Taiwan independence       Official urges public to sue polluters       Mine death toll rises to 86, hopes slim       Bad school experiences affect juvenile delinquency       Population peak may hinder development       Kindergarten killer caught by police