Beef Up Protection Of Yellow River Basin: Han Zheng

Vice Premier Han Zheng has called for ecological protection to be stepped up in the Yellow River Basin after a secretive filming project highlighted the need to address environmental problems, state media reported on Wednesday.

The Yellow River, China's second-longest river, is a vital source of water for the north of the country, running for 5,464 kilometres through nine Chinese provinces and regions, from Qinghai in the west to Shandong in the east. Its basin is often called the "cradle of Chinese civilisation."

Han, who heads a cross-ministerial group to tackle pollution in northern China, asked state television and the environment ministry to team up and shoot footage on unannounced visits to 52 cities and prefectures along the river over a period of almost three months, the official Xinhua news agency said.

The "warning film" they produced was played in front of representatives from all nine regions at a meeting in Shandong capital Jinan on Tuesday.

"The ecological protection situation of the Yellow River Basin is still severe, and there is a serious shortage of water resources," Han was cited as saying by Xinhua.

State media last year reported that illegal coal mining in Qinghai's Qilian mountains had damaged water resources along the Yellow River.

"First, we must be able to discern the problem. Problems that can't be seen are the biggest problem," Han added, calling for environmental problems to be properly dealt with and for any loopholes in the system to be plugged.

It is also necessary to strengthen protection of cultural heritage sites in the basin, Han said. (Reuters)