Premier's Speech on Environmental Protection in Three Gorges Area Hailed

Premier Zhu Rongji's recent speech on environmental protection in the Three Gorges Area, where a mammoth dam project is being built, has been applauded by local officials and experts who regard it as a big boost to the efforts made by the local people to hold back land erosion and pollution.

The decision to allocate two billion yuan a year in the coming two years for environmental protection in the area indicates that the central government has given priority to the environmental issues and is increasing its support to dealing with these problems, said Gan Yuping, a deputy mayor of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Friday.

The official made the remarks in an interview with a group of reporters who are traveling along the Yangtze River to study the environmental situation.

Zhu's speech, made at a recent conference hosted by the State Council on some critical issues concerning the giant hydropower project on the middle reaches of the Yangtze, is especially applauded by local officials responsible for environmental protection.

Xu Zhihong, head of the environmental protection bureau of Fuling District, Chongqing, said the premier's speech is a great encouragement to local people as the money-tight district has allocated huge funds for environmental and land protection.

In a telephone interview with Xinhua, Sun Weiquan, director of the environmental protection bureau of Yichang, Hubei Province, could not help showing his delight at the news. "I'll work out the plan for cleaning Huangbai River, a branch of Yangtze, as early as possible," he said.

According to Wang Yue, a vice secretary-general of the municipal government of Chongqing, the city has made great efforts to turn it into a beautiful metropolis. The central government's decision to increase investment in the environmental sector will help with the timely completion of the dam project and maintain a sound ecological environment, he said. Enditem






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