| Nation cleans water in major river system |
CHINA'S environmental protection authority has set up a surveillance network to monitor water conditions in the Haihe River basin, where important cities such as Beijing and Tianjin are located. The network, headquartered in the capital of Hebei Province, is composed of six provincial-level environmental surveillance centres and 59 county-level monitoring stations. The State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) obtained information for the battle against water pollution in the Haihe River basin, which has been worsening along with rapid industrial and social development in recent years. The Haihe River, meandering through Tianjin City, gathers tributaries from Hebei, Henan, Shandong and Shanxi provinces, and the country's capital, Beijing. After this populous area's chronic flooding problem was brought under control through massive water conservation projects, water pollution has emerged as a new environmental burden. SEPA has organized four similar surveillance networks in the water systems of the Yangtze and Huaihe River basins, and Taihu Lake. Shanghai began a comprehensive survey yesterday of the quality of its river water in preparation for pollution treatment. It is the largest river quality survey ever undertaken in the city, China's largest metropolis, and it will continue through the end of this month. Sources with the municipal water conservation department said there are 5,000 monitoring stations along the city's rivers. They will collect samples for intensified quality analysis by departments of water conservation, environmental protection and institutes of higher learning, which will work together to compile the final results. Eleven per cent of this bustling commercial centre is covered by water, and rapid industrialization and urbanization development has brought with it serious water contamination problems. The survey is expected to provide important data for pollution treatment of surface and underground water, which will be taken into consideration for comprehensive urban planning. |
Original source: Xinhua News Agency Submit by CEIN News on 8/15/1999 |