China's environmental watchdog yesterday advised that a massive clean-up campaign be launched around the Three Gorges Reservoir before it begins storing water next month.

The State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) requires that governments at various levels in the area clears all rubbish and floating debris before water storage begins on June 1.

The Three Gorges Project, costing nearly 170 billion yuan (US$20.8 billion), began in 1992 and is earmarked for completion in 2009.

In the circular issued by the SEPA yesterday, those regional governments in the environs should combine their efforts to ensure removal of all possible sources of infectious disease in a bid to guarantee the purity of the huge reservoir.

Governments at grass roots level, villages and city and rural residents are all urged to take effective environmental protection measures to ward off severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), said the watchdog.

The SEPA issued the requirement after a recent joint inspection of the clear-up work of the reservoir areas with ministerial departments of economic, finance, water and health.

Following these inspections the departments reported that governments at various levels in Chongqing Municipality and Hubei Province have generally done a good job in the clean-up work, but warned more pollution-preventing measures were needed in the areas.

China has spent 43.9 billion yuan (US$5.3 billion) on protecting the environment and cultural relics and geological disaster prevention measures in the areas around the Three Gorges Dam project.

Many concerns have been voiced and inquiries raised regarding the protection of the environment and cultural relics since the Three Gorges Dam project began, said Chi Wenjiang, deputy director of the Relocation and Development Bureau of the Three Gorges Project Construction Committee, which is under the State Council.

With the State Council's approval, 39 billion yuan (US$4.7 billion) has been invested in a fundamental improvement of water quality by curbing pollution of the Three Gorges reservoir and in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. To further upgrade the environment, trees will also be planted along the middle and upper reaches of the river, said Chi.

About 700 million yuan (US$84 million) has been allocated for the protection of cultural relics above ground and excavation and exploration of underground ones.

A further 4 billion yuan (US$480 million) has been used to conduct geological inspections and preventive work in the area of possible natural disasters to safeguard property and life in the reservoir area, the official said.

Chongqing, whose far-flung rural areas embrace much of the Three Gorges area, has launched five programs since the start of the year to control air pollution.

An official with the city, surnamed Zhang, said those programs included the closing down of 567 stone quarries, the banning of diesel buses and other heavily polluting vehicles from key zones, promoting the use of low-sulphur coal and reconstructing, moving or shutting down 12 large heavily polluting enterprises.

The Chongqing municipal government has earmarked some 380 million yuan (US$45.8 million) in recent years to promote clean energy.

Latest statistics suggest that Chongqing, for years known as the "City of Smog," saw just 30 days of smog last year. In the past it was enveloped by it for around 100 days a year.

Chi said that construction of the dam project and relocation of people from the affected areas were proceeding well.

(China Daily May 14, 2003)