The first environmental public hearing was held in Beijing on Wednesday over a project to line the lake bed of Yuanmingyuan Park (the Old Summer Palace) in the capital's western suburbs with a plastic membrane.

Pan Yue, deputy director of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), said all opinions from the hearing would be taken into consideration and a final arbitration made soon after studying the environmental evaluation report.

The event, hosted by the SEPA, lasted four and a half hours and allowed a diverse group of 120 delegates – many of whom were experts who objected to the scheme – to express their opinions over its impact on the soil, ground water and surrounding terrestrial ecosystem.

Zhang Zhengchun, a professor with Lanzhou University in northwest China's Gansu Province, said that it would cause severe damage to Yuanmingyuan's ecosystem and landscape.

Zhang came across the project by accident on March 22 and was the first person to expose the issue to the media. The hearing attracted reporters from more than 30 media groups.

The work was suspended on March 31 when the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau announced it had not received approval from environmental protection authorities before commencing last September with an investment of 200 million yuan (US$24.2million).

Despite this the project was restarted and completed last week, and on Monday the Beijing News reported that long-established wild shrubs and trees had also been pulled up to make room for rockeries and decorative plants.

Yuanmingyuan, the emperor's private pleasure garden, was founded in the early 18th century and was once known as "Versailles of the East." It has survived a number of attacks since then, including being razed by British and French troops in 1860.

The project installed plastic sheeting at the bottom of the lake to prevent water from leaking into the ground. But it has evoked widespread criticism for stopping the natural water cycle and reducing the lake's self-cleaning capability.

Delegates from Yuanmingyuan's administration office argued that the project, aimed at saving water, was justified.

They said that recently, the lake has dried up for seven months each year, leading to the death of much water life. The administration has had to refill it three times a year, but with the membrane this would only need to be done once.

Participants pointed out that the garden's management had violated regulations by not getting approval from local environment and cultural heritage departments, some demanding that officials be punished.

"Behind the project lie the park authorities' business motives," said Li Dun, from Tsinghua University, referring to a plan to expand boating activities. "The park needs to be protected, not developed."

Attendees also spoke of alternative solutions to the problem of water loss, including the use of purified waste water.

In 1998, massive schemes to line rivers, canals and lakes with cement were begun to reduce water loss, despite warnings that they would prevent water circulation and cut off replenishment of ground water. This resulted in waters overheating in summer and overcooling in winter, destroying life and thwarting natural self-cleaning processes.

Pan promised that the SEPA would continue to hold hearings on important environmental issues and decision-making of public concern.

(Xinhua News Agency, China Daily April 14, 2005)