From Xinhua’s Heilongjiang channel, translated by CDT (photo: residents in Harbin waiting for water delivery after Songhua chemical spill):
Beijing has ratified a proposal to clean up the water systems of Songhua River, involving key cities along the river such as Harbin (哈尔滨), Qiqihar (齐齐哈尔), Daqing (大庆), Jiamusi (佳木斯), Mudanjiang (牡丹江), Changchun (长春) and Jilin (吉林). The five year plan, from 2006-2010, will draw over 10 billion yuan into the megaproject that aims to ensure drinking water security and water quality along the China-Russia border.
HeilongjiangProvince will be taking 166 projects, with a total investment of 7.75 billion yuan; Jilin Province 102, worth 8.8 billion yuan.
Since late 2005’s headline making chemical spill in the river, Heilongjiang has, after a blanket inspection, registered 314 serious polluters, 39 of which have been closed. Provincial officials say the effort will continue this year.
Still, as Heilongjiang’s executive vice governor Li Zhanshu (ʆóÊàò‰π¶) confessed, the environmental situation is still grave, with more than 80% of municipal sewage and over 100 major pollutant sources dumped into the river untreated. [Full Text, in Chinese]
– CDT’s coverage on Songhua River
