China is making efforts to prevent possible environmental deterioration led by laying of the country's gigantic West-to-East Gas Transmission Project.

The central government will invest one billion yuan (US$120 million) in a project called water and soil conservation project for the gas pipeline.

The West-to-East Gas Transmission Project starts from Lunnan oil and gas field in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and winds its way through eight autonomous regions and provinces before entering Shanghai with a total length of more than 4,000 kilometers (2,485.6 miles). Apart from the trunk line, the project has 12 sub-lines.

Laying of the gas pipeline system left large amounts of dregs and earth, which might cause soil erosion if no effective measures are taken.

The water resources department has worked out plans for water and soil conservation along nine of the 12 gas pipelines, said Li Renhua, who took part in the plan compilation.

Workers will build walls to block the spread of dregs, irrigation canals and sand sedimentary pools and plant trees and grass to set up a barrier against soil erosion, Li added.

Chinese environmentalists estimate implementation of these measures will prevent 95 percent of the land along the pipeline from soil erosion.

(Xinhua News Agency September 7, 2002)