Qinghua University report backs lake project
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-07-04 09:03

Qinghua experts primarily supported a controversial restoration project in Yuanmingyuan in Beijing, the Beijing Times quoted a reliable source as saying Sunday.

A worker works in the Yuan Ming Yuan lake. [People's Daily]

The experts met the deadline and submitted an environment impact assessment (EIA) report to the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) on Thursday.

The final results would come out in another 35 working days after the environmental watchdog completed a "technical appraisal" of the report, said Zhu Xingxiang, a department chief of the administration.

His environmental appraisal department and several top SEPA leaders will have a final say on the report.

The project to line the lakebed of Yuanmingyuan with plastic sheets to prevent water seepage sparked widespread criticism, with some people saying it damaged the park's ecosystem.

However, the EIA report said the project was necessary because a lack of water could turn the park into a desert.

Measures should be taken to avoid water wastage. The report also pointed out the plastic sheets used to line the lake bed was harmless and caused no environmental hazard.

SEPA halted the project in April and ordered the management office of Yuanmingyuan to submit an EIA report, which would decide whether to restart the project.

An expert in charge of the appraisal said the appraisal panel would consist of seven to 11 specialists from fields of ecology, gardening, cultural relics, and water preservation.

The panel, staffed by people other than those submitting the report, will carry out field investigations as well as statistic analyses.

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