Authorities have given the green light to a massive infrastructure project to divert water from the Yangtze River to the Yellow River, official media reported yesterday.
Xinhua said Premier Zhu Rongji had chaired a conference in Beijing before he left for Japan during which he instructed officials to accelerate preparation for the project and 'strive for an early start' to construction.
The report said preparation for the project had been included in the draft proposal of the 10th Five-Year Economic Plan - a master economic blueprint for China in the coming five years - which was approved by leaders during a recent Communist Party conference in Beijing.
Chinese water conservancy experts have for many years debated the feasibility of the diversion scheme, which aims to transport millions of tonnes of water from the Yangtze River through pipelines and canals to supply the increasingly dry Yellow River.
While supporters argued the abundant Yangtze River was China's best solution to the chronic drought being witnessed in northeast provinces, sceptics are concerned the costly project could pose a heavy financial burden on the Government and that the imminent completion of the Three Gorges Dam project in Sichuan might weaken the Yangtze's water supply.
But Xinhua yesterday quoted the Premier as saying that the Government was determined to push for an early start to the water diversion scheme.
'The water shortage problem in northeast China has become increasingly serious, and finding a solution has become an issue of utmost urgency,' Mr Zhu was quoted as saying.