The Yangtze River at risk as 24 thousand small dams drain it
A study by the National Audit Office denounces the proliferation of hydraulic works along the Blue River. About 300 rivers and tributaries dry up due to the use of dams. Irregularities in the use of funds allocated for environmental care.
Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Thousands of small dams have been built in recent years along the Yangtze River (Blue River). In most cases, preliminary studies on environmental impact have not been made. A report from the National Audit Office (click here for the document in Chinese) denounces the irregularities. The data updated at the end of 2017 show that around 24 thousand dams have been built. The hydraulic works are small and medium-sized. They stand only a few hundred meters away from each other. Because of this, around 300 smaller rivers intermittently dry up. The course of the Yangtze and its ecosystem are severely tested by other great works: the three Gorges dam and, 700 km further upstream, that of Xiaonanhai.
The urban and economic areas overlooking the river are among the most important in China. These are 11 provincial areas that cover a total of 2.05 million square kilometers. Pollutant levels in air and water have recently decreased. The levels of ammonium nitrate, sulfur dioxide and nitric oxide compared to 2016 fell respectively by 4%, 9.24% and 3.97%. However, some critical issues remain: adequate infrastructures such as water purification plants and modern landfills are lacking.
The office that conducted the study also found some irregularities in funds for environmental care. The 1.3 billion yuan allocated to counter water pollution and desertification in eight of the regions have not been used for at least a year. Between December 2013 and January 2018, the 26 million yuan for environmental protection went into administrative costs. In the last two years, 100 thousand environmental violations have been registered, 2,600 people have been investigated.
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20/05/2006
