The State Council on July 14 approved a plan to harness and develop the river. In the plan, flood control is made as a long-term target and the economy and protection of water resources are put on the top flight of the agenda. The preservation of water and soil will the fundamental step to improve the farm production conditions and the ecological environment and harness the river. Through the sustainable use of water resources, the sustainable economic and social development in the river valley and its environs will be ensured as part of the national strategy for sustainability.

In its reply, the State Council urged that efforts be made to preserve water and soil on the loess plateau, bring into full play the self-purification ability of the ecological system and return cropland to forested and grass land whenever it is ecologically necessary. More efforts will be put into supervision over the legal enforcement in matters relating to preservation of water and soil and control human harassment. In the immediate period of time, the feasibility study for the projects in the Hekou village and Guxian and Heshan Gorge will be made as part of the western wing project of diverting water from southern China to northern China.

In the coming decade, it is expected to establish a system to control flood and reduce sedimentation and perfect the unified utilization and regulation of water resources to eliminate the seasonal dry-up of the river. It is also hoped that the discharge of the total amount of pollutants into the river will be brought under control and the trunk river system will be up to the state-prescribed standards in water quality. The new losses of water and soil will be contained and the worsening of the ecological environment will be curtailed.

(www.cenews.com August 28, 2002)