East China's Anhui Province will spend more than one billion yuan (US$827 million) by 2005 to tackle pollution in the Huaihe River and Chaohu Lake, both among the most polluted in the country.

Official figures show that since 2001, the province has spent 2.34 billion yuan (US$282 million) on pollution control, completing 11 projects and launching 43 more in the treatment of industrial and urban sewage.

Local environment authorities said the program would focus on the construction of urban environment infrastructure and control of industrial and household sewage.

Seven sewage treatment plants have already been set up in the Huaihe River valleys and nine others are being built. And, three such plants have been put into operation in the Chaohu basins.

(Xinhua News Agency June 25, 2003)