China's oil giant, the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), has
started a major environmental protection project in its
northwestern Lanzhou branch to prevent water pollution.
The CNPC will invest 1.5 billion yuan (US$187.5 million) in the
project in Lanzhou, capital of
Gansu Province, over the next three years, company officials
said.
A buffer zone including over 20 km of pipelines and four pools
with a total capacity of 300,000 cubic meters will be built to
contain possible spill of polluted water.
The CNPC will invest 500 million yuan (US$62.5 million) this
year in the project, and an aquatic amusement park will be turned
into one of the pools starting from July 1.
The project means the second longest river in China, the Yellow
River, is safe from pollution by the CNPC branch.
The Songhua River in northeast China suffered major pollution in
November when around 100 tons of pollutants containing hazardous
benzene spilled into it after a chemical plant explosion in Jilin
Province.
The incident forced cities along the river, including Harbin,
capital of Heilongjiang Province and a city of more than three
million people, to temporarily suspend water supply.
(Xinhua News Agency March 19, 2006)