CPPCC discusses water diversion project

BEIJING, July 10 -- China' political advisors discussed quality of water in the south-to-north water diversion project at a bi-weekly consultation session on Thursday.

The session, presided over by Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the political advisory body, concentrated on the central route which will start flowing this year.

According to a statement issued after the session, water in Danjiangkou Reservoir is of good quality, but the environmental impact and supporting projects need be evaluated. Follow-up projects should be included in the next five-year program for social and economic development.

The advisors also suggested industrial restructuring for local economies to protect reservoir water and surrounding ecology, that discharge of pollutants be capped and agricultural pollution treated.

Last year, the CPPCC conducted fieldwork at the reservoir.

The water diversion project is designed with eastern, central and western routes. It will carry around 45 billion cubic meters of water annually from the wet south, mainly the Yangtze River reaches, to the dry north, including Beijing.