China plans to invest 21.5 billion yuan (US$2.6 billion) to fight pollution in the Songhua River, one of the largest tributaries of the Heilong River on the Sino-Russian border.

The plan is focused mainly on protecting drinking water resources for urban residents living in close proximity to the Songhua River, to accelerate urban sewage programs and to reduce industrial pollution.

Under the plan, polluted water, trash, waste and industrial pollutants flowing into the river will be thoroughly processed, while protected water reserves will be established in the area.

"The decline in water quality of the Songhua River can be brought under control initially by the year 2005 and improved remarkably by around 2015," said Li Weixiang, director of the Heilongjiang Provincial Environmental Protection Bureau.

Li said the Songhua River's pollution also concerned environmental diplomatic ties with Russia in its Far East region.

Flowing through Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces, the 1,840-kilometre Songhua River, which starts in China's northeastern Changbai Mountains, converges with the Heilong River and eventually empties into the Pacific via Russian territories.

Many industrial enterprises with high volumes of waste water in the two provinces are concentrated along the river.

Russia has been attaching greater importance to the environmental protection in the Heilong River drainage area.

Protection of the environment along the border has been a priority issue in talks between the premiers of both countries.

After signing a memorandum on jointly monitoring the river in February 2002, the two neighboring nations began measuring water quality in the Heilong and Wusuli rivers in May of this year.

"A new Songhua River is in sight and it is expected to flow with clean, pure water in the near future," said Li.

(Xinhua News Agency July 22, 2003)