News from Henan Provincial Environment Department is that representatives from nine provinces and regions which are located along the Yellow River have jointly signed the Manifesto on Protecting the Water Environment of the Yellow River, promising to take joint action to strengthen the trans-regional cooperation on the protection of the Yellow River.
The nine provinces are Shandong, Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu, Qinghai and Xinjiang. They say that by 2010 they will bring the water deterioration situation of the trunk streams of the Yellow River under control and have the cities' polluted water processing facilities complete their periodical tasks.
The Manifesto requires the nine provinces to take actions to carry out the scientific development concepts and build an energy-saving and environment friendly society by implementing environmental protection laws and regulations for the Yellow River and by forming a joint-action work mechanism.
In addition, the Manifesto says that a trans-regional water quality responsibility assessment system shall be set up in accordance with the 11th Five-year Plan and the Emission Control for the Yellow River ranges to include the performance of the main principals of the local government into the responsibility assessment.
