The world's highest railway is being built in an environmentally friendly way with a focus on keeping it green, according to Chinese officials.

No recorded cases of pollution

Dong Jun, an official in charge of environmental protection of the Tibet section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway construction, said there had been no recorded cases of pollution during the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, half of which will be laid on permafrost.

Rubbish & waste water

"We have trained workers to build up ecological protection awareness before they take up their posts," he said.

During the construction, workers were ordered to collect, classify and recycle rubbish, rather than burn it.

In addition, waste water from the construction work was channeled and separated from oil and other contaminants before being discharged.

Construction equipment

The construction equipment was carefully selected with cheaper, but more polluting machines being rejected.

Vegetation protection

Vegetation protection was another key point. Staff took photos of the landscape before laying the railway to guarantee that all the vegetation which was to be pulled out for the construction would be replanted along the railway as it was.

New vegetation would be planted in those areas which were not originally rich in flora.

Dong said 18 million yuan was being spent in extensive planting around the Yangpachan area which was bare.

The 1,118-kilometer (650-mile) railway, the first linking Tibet with the western China, will extend from Lhasa to Golmud and will be the longest and highest highland railway in the world.

More than 960 kilometers, or four fifths of the railway, will be built at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters (13,120 feet).

( People's Daily April 15, 2002)