KUNMING: The Chinese Govern- ment is taking active measures to avoid polluting the Mekong River, an important waterway in Southeast Asia, while conducting water resource development projects on the upper reaches of the river, according to officials in Yunnan Province.

The Mekong River, dubbed "the Danube of the East," runs through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam, for a total distance of 4,661 kilometres. The 2,160-kilometre section that runs through China is known as the Lancang River, which traverses Southwest China's Yunnan Province for more than 1,000 kilometres.

The latest statistics from hydrological monitoring stations along the river show that the water quality of the Mekong River meets the international standard for drinking water, indicating an absence of water pollution in the river.

China has launched a comprehensive environmental protection project in the Lancang River drainage area with the aim of preserving the river's purity.

The project began with a major afforestation drive that kicked off in 1999. The goal of the ongoing effort is to increase the forest coverage rate in the area from 38 per cent at present to 50 per cent in 20 years.

"The afforestation project will cost a total of 200 million yuan (US$24 million) and new trees will cover an area of 633,000 hectares by the year 2020," a local forestry official said.

So far, 33,333 hectares of trees have been planted in the area, he added.

The Lancang River has long been considered a promising route linking western China with Southeast Asian countries. At the same time, the river area is rich in hydropower, non-ferrous metals, tourism and biological resources.

Since 1986, a number of hydropower stations, such as those at Manwan, Dachaoshan and Xiaowan, have been established on the Lancang River, and five more hydropower stations will be built within 20 years.

Meanwhile, paper plants and lead-zinc mines have been built along the river's banks.

In addition, hundreds of historical and scenic sites there attract flocks of domestic and overseas tourists.

Balancing these sorts of developments with environmental concerns has become a familiar problem for officials in China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Viet Nam, who have hosted a series of international conferences in recent years to discuss economic development and pollution-control on the river.

The officials have generally agreed that development of the Mekong River basin will help promote economic growth along the river, and narrow the development gap among Southeast Asian countries.

This also dovetails with the strategy of developing China's western areas, which is well underway now, they said.

Discussions have led to the creation of a development plan for the river basin that focuses on transportation, environmental protection and tourism.

The first phase of the joint development programme is to develop the river into a leading international water navigation route, officials have indicated. The river will be an important transportation link between China and Southeast Asia.

Addressing worries about problems brought about by industrial projects located on the river, such as water pollution and ecological disruption, the Chinese Government has decided to list environmental protection as a top priority in its plans for the area.

"There are at least two standards we must meet," said Zeng Guangquan, a senior engineer with the Yunnan Provincial Environment Scientific Research Institute. "They are: the water volume of the river's lower reaches must be equal to the period before development and the water quality of the reaches must meet the standard of drinking water."

He added that every development project in the area must prove that it will not cause any pollution to the local environment.

Zeng explained that the main sources of pollution in the river are urban sewage and garbage, which contain large amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus.

Last December, the Yunnan provincial government inspected 1,042 industrial enterprises located in the river basin area. Four did not meet pollution-control standards and were shut down.

At present, the province is constructing four major sewage treatment plants and three nature reserves.

To date, over 20 hydrological monitoring stations have been set up on major tributaries of the river.

Zeng pointed out that the hydropower stations on the Lancang River will help adjust the water flux of its lower reaches, decreasing disasters from droughts and floods in dry and rainy seasons.

When there are fewer droughts and floods, mud-rock flows and landslides will also be reduced, leading to a sparkling clean river, Zeng asserted.

Xinhua