China's environmental watchdog yesterday advised that a massive
clean-up campaign be launched around the Three Gorges Reservoir
before it begins storing water next month.
The State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) requires that
governments at various levels in the area clears all rubbish and
floating debris before water storage begins on June 1.
The Three Gorges Project, costing nearly 170 billion yuan (US$20.8
billion), began in 1992 and is earmarked for completion in
2009.
In
the circular issued by the SEPA yesterday, those regional
governments in the environs should combine their efforts to ensure
removal of all possible sources of infectious disease in a bid to
guarantee the purity of the huge reservoir.
Governments at grass roots level, villages and city and rural
residents are all urged to take effective environmental protection
measures to ward off severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), said
the watchdog.
The SEPA issued the requirement after a recent joint inspection of
the clear-up work of the reservoir areas with ministerial
departments of economic, finance, water and health.
Following these inspections the departments reported that
governments at various levels in Chongqing
Municipality and Hubei
Province have generally done a good job in the clean-up work,
but warned more pollution-preventing measures were needed in the
areas.
China has spent 43.9 billion yuan (US$5.3 billion) on protecting
the environment and cultural relics and geological disaster
prevention measures in the areas around the Three Gorges Dam
project.
Many concerns have been voiced and inquiries raised regarding the
protection of the environment and cultural relics since the Three
Gorges Dam project began, said Chi Wenjiang, deputy director of the
Relocation and Development Bureau of the Three Gorges Project
Construction Committee, which is under the State Council.
With the State Council's approval, 39 billion yuan (US$4.7 billion)
has been invested in a fundamental improvement of water quality by
curbing pollution of the Three Gorges reservoir and in the upper
reaches of the Yangtze River. To further upgrade the environment,
trees will also be planted along the middle and upper reaches of
the river, said Chi.
About 700 million yuan (US$84 million) has been allocated for the
protection of cultural relics above ground and excavation and
exploration of underground ones.
A
further 4 billion yuan (US$480 million) has been used to conduct
geological inspections and preventive work in the area of possible
natural disasters to safeguard property and life in the reservoir
area, the official said.
Chongqing, whose far-flung rural areas embrace much of the Three
Gorges area, has launched five programs since the start of the year
to control air pollution.
An
official with the city, surnamed Zhang, said those programs
included the closing down of 567 stone quarries, the banning of
diesel buses and other heavily polluting vehicles from key zones,
promoting the use of low-sulphur coal and reconstructing, moving or
shutting down 12 large heavily polluting enterprises.
The Chongqing municipal government has earmarked some 380 million
yuan (US$45.8 million) in recent years to promote clean energy.
Latest statistics suggest that Chongqing, for years known as the
"City of Smog," saw just 30 days of smog last year. In the past it
was enveloped by it for around 100 days a year.
Chi said that construction of the dam project and relocation of
people from the affected areas were proceeding well.
(China Daily May 14, 2003)