China's State Environment Protection Administration, the top environmental watchdog in the nation, has announced that the rehabilitation effort for the Songhua River, one of the most heavily polluted rivers in the country, would remain in effect for 10 years.

The announcement follows the launch of a five-year pollution-control plan initiated early last year. That plan has a projected budget of RMB26.6 billion.

According to the plan, Songhua River will be cleaned to its original state in three steps. By 2008, the water quality there should be stable; by 2010, the water quality should be greatly improved; and in the long term, the ultimate goal must be to restore the river's natural condition and ecological balance.

During the 11th Five-Year Plan, which ends in 2010, projects that discharge heavy metals or organic pollutants that do not easily degrade into the river will be banned. Energy-intensive, heavy-polluting industries like steel and chemical production and smelting will be strictly controlled to prevent pollutants from finding their way into the river.

Data from 2006 suggest that ecological conditions in the Songhua River and its tributaries have been deteriorating. The river's tributaries were actually more polluted last year than in 2005.

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