In the face of criticism from environmental groups, a senior government official reiterated in an interview on Friday that China will make every effort to protect the environment in the area of Three Gorges Reservoir and the entire Yangtze River.

"We must protect the river as we protect our eyes," Pu Haiqing, director of the Three Gorges Project Construction Committee, told Xinhua.

The criticism, however, has been unceasing since China started to build the Three Gorges Dam and Reservoir -- the largest water project in the world -- in 1994.

The Yangtze, China's most important river, directly and indirectly feeds approximately 55 percent of the population, and the economy in its valley accounts for 40 percent of the nation's total. "If the river were to be badly polluted, the results would be disastrous," Pu said.

China's central and local governments have said they are deeply concerned about environmental issues in connection with the project. They have sought to prevent harm to the air, soil, water and living organisms, Pu said.

A comprehensive monitoring system has been established in the area to inspect the environment as construction continues. Annual reports of the past nine years indicate that weather conditions have improved, water quality remains unchanged and soil erosion has declined 1 percent each year.

The reports do show problems, however. The dam and reservoir will cut natural refreshing of the water to only 11 or 12 times each year, substantially increasing the buildup of pollution. The dam, completed in June 2003, will also contribute to the amount of sludge in the river, expanding the area likely to be polluted.

By all accounts, the project has significantly improved water transport and stimulated the purchase vessels for business -- which is bad news for the environment. Roughly 100,000 various ships and boats are plying the waters in the area of the reservoir, ejecting 50,000 tons of garbage and up to 20 million tons of untreated waste water into the Yangtze River each year.

A budget of 39 billion yuan (US$4.7 billion) was approved last year to build 28 waste treatment plants, 26 of which have been completed.

Government officials say that it will take time to develop a clear picture of the precise effects the project will have on the environment. Many leading scientists and scholars are involved in research on the issue.

Pu said that building environmental awareness among the public is a fundamental way to protect the river.

Ai Feng, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and president of the Chinese Academy of Development and Research, conducted an in-depth inspection of the river in 2003.

In a report released earlier this year, Ai said that the Yangtze River is facing six major crises: deforestation, silting, earlier dry seasons, degraded drinking water, threatened wildlife, damage to sluices and power stations, and damage to the river's natural self-cleaning processes.

In 2003, industrial and urban daily wastewater dumped into the river exceeded 25 billion tons along the entire length of the Yangtze. As much as 90 percent was untreated, according to the report.

(Xinhua News Agency, China.org.cn December 6, 2004)