The first explosions to clear a series of reefs that have
hampered shipping on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River were
successful on Monday afternoon in east China's Anhui Province.?
The blasting of 700 kg of dynamite -- enough to topple
seven 10-storey buildings -- occurred at 3:08 PM, according to the
Anqing city branch of the Yangtze River Waterway Bureau.
The move is one of the efforts to dredge the Yangtze, the
country's longest river, and to develop shipping during the 11th Five-year Plan period (2006-2010).
The project will last until June 25 and clear the Taiziji
section of the river, where reefs measure 200 meters by 120 meters.
Debris is expected to be cleared by the end of June next year.
"In the months ahead, blasting will be carried out every other
day and altogether 275 tons of explosives and 110,000 meters of
wire will be needed for the entire operation," said Pei Wei, deputy
director of Maritime Affairs Bureau of Anqing, adding the impact on
shipping would be limited.
Taiziji waterway is 26 km long and is called the "ghost
triangle" for its numerous reefs and complicated channels. Ninety
accidents have been reported in the area in the last two
decades.
The 6,300-km Yangtze originates in the Tanggula Range on the
Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and passes through Qinghai, Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shanghai before emptying into the East China
Sea.
Information from the Ministry of Communications said the central
government would set aside 15 billion yuan (US$1.88 billion) for
Yangtze development during the 2006-2010 period, including dredging
of navigable channels and port construction.
(Xinhua News Agency March 6, 2007)
