The Huaihe River, the third longest river in China which is experiencing the dry season, could face an outbreak of pollution if no proper measures were taken immediately, the country's environment watchdog has warned.
  
In a quarterly report on Huaihe' water quality, the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) said that in the fourth quarter last year, the water flow in the river reduced by 70 percent as compared with the same period of the previous year.
  
In July last year, surging water caused by rainstorms in the upper reaches brought to the mainstream 400 tons of pollutants that had accumulated in the dry season, forming a 133 kilometer-long belt of inky water that killed whatever aquatic beings on the way.
  
"The Huaihe River has now entered the dry season, and we face a tough job in preventing an outbreak of pollution," said a SEPA official.
  
He asked localities along the river to properly distribute water resources and make full use of water treatment plants to reduce pollutants discharged into the river.
  
According to the SEPA report, the water quality in the mainstream of Huaihe remained basically unchanged, however, three of the eight tributaries of Huaihe witnessed an increase of pollutants, especially in Hongru and Yinghe rivers which run through Henan Province, central China.
  
The SEPA has asked Henan to take effective measures to check the pollution.
  
The 1,000-meter Huaihe River, which runs from central China to the east between the Yangtze and Yellow rivers, is one of the most polluted rivers in the country. 

(Xinhua News Agency February 9, 2005)