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China Launches Program to Curb Land Erosion at Yangtze Source
The Yangtze River Water Conservancy Committee under the Ministry of Water Resources announced here Monday the launching of a five-year program to protect the land in the source area of the Yangtze River, China's longest.
The launching ceremony was held in front of the Monument to the Yangtze River Source, which was inscribed by President Jiang Zemin, in this township, in northwest China's Qinghai Province, in the presence of a group of journalists organized by the National People's Congress's Committee for the Protection of the Environment and Resources to make a study and reporting tour along the Yangtze River since late May.
According to Cai Qihua, director of the Yangtze River Water Conservancy Committee, the river source area has been suffering from severe land erosion due to natural factors and human activities, resulting in a series of eco-environmental problems and hampering the sustainable development of the area and the river basins as a whole.
The program includes a number of subordinate programs to create greater awareness among the people living in the river source area about land protection, improving the laws and regulations concerning land protection, cracking down on illegal activities of various kinds causing soil erosion, and stepping up the monitoring of environmental protection.
The mainstream of the Yangtze River is 6,300 km long, and the whole river basins cover 1.8 million sq km. The program will involve an area of 100,000 sq km in Qinghai.
Environmental Reporters Arrive at Monument to Yangtze River Source After a 20,000-km trek since late May, a group of Chinese journalists sponsored by the Environment and Resources Protection Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), arrived at their destination -- the origin of the Yangtze River, the longest river in China,Monday.
The Monument to "The Yangtze River Source", which was inscribed by President Jiang Zemin, was set up last year by the Tuotuo River, in the western part of northwest China's Qinghai Province.
On behalf of the delegation, Shang Jucheng, an official from the NPC committee and head of the group, read a proposal calling for greater awareness among the public about environmental issues in the Yangtze River area.
According to Shang, this is the tenth year of the implementation of China's land protection law and the ninth year for the committee to organize such trips.
Li Peng, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, wrote an inscription for this year's journey, while Vice-Chairman Zou Jiahua of the NPC Standing Committee wrote an inscription and attended the launching ceremony of the tour at the mouth of the river in east China's Shanghai Municipality.
During the past three months, the reporters have covered the achievements and experience of governments at different levels and local people to protect the environment and curb land erosion in the Yangtze River area.
Because of weather and communications factors, the reporters do not plan to visit the Geladandong Snow Peak, the very source of the Yangtze River. According to local people, those who want to travel to the source have to take yaks.
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