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)
