About 3,000 Guangzhou residents will swim across the Pearl River today to raise awareness of the need to further protect the river.

It is the first time in three decades for so many of swimmers to cross the river, which has suffered severe pollution due to rapid industrial development.

Organizers say that the event is also a celebration of the local government's successful clean-up efforts.

Swimmers will set off from outside Sun Yat-sun University and finish near Xinghai Concert Hall, an 800- metre swim.

The whole event is expected to last for 3 hours.

"To ensure every swimmer is one hundred per cent safe, we will carry out a lot of special measures," said Ling Weixian, vice-mayor of Guangzhou.

The Maritime Safety Administration of Guangzhou will block maritime traffic within the swimathon area from 8 am to 5:30 PM today.

Three patrol boats, three speed boats and 30 maritime traffic policemen will patrol the event.

Moreover, the government will arrange 50 fixed and floating accident boats in the swimming area with 150 professional lifeguards to cope with any unexpected accidents.

Also 20 divers will swim underwater throughout the event.

The local health department has set up three temporary medical centres at the finishing point.

Due to safety concern, it is a must for participants to have passed the official swimming test. Most of the 3,000 swimmers can swim continuously for 2,000 metres at least.

According to national water quality grading from a clean 1 to a dirty 5, swimming water must meet grade 3.

Statistics from the Environmental Protection Bureau of Guangdong Province show from January to May the water quality in most drainage areas of the Pearl River was graded at 4.

However, Vice-Mayor Lin said on Monday that "the water quality in the swimming area has been graded at 3 for the past two weeks, and it is safe for swimming now."

(China Daily July 12, 2006)