Changing for the better

the Reds seem to be going green as environmental consciousness descends upon them in a big way. Prime Minister Li Peng, at an environmental protection conference held in mid-July in Beijing, said that greater efforts were needed to "curb the deteriorating environmental trend by 2000'. The conference was also attended by members of the United Nations Environment Programme.

The cleaning of three major rivers and three polluted lakes by the year 2000 is one of the campaigns launched by China in its cleanliness drive. The Huaihe river that runs through central and eastern China, is polluted to such an extent that fish and shrimps no longer live in its waters and people living alongside the river consume only bottled mineral water. The two other rivers slated for a clean-up are the Haile in the north and the Liohe in the north-east of China. Reportedly, all seven of China's major rivers are polluted.

Over the years, China has slowly conceded that its country is environmentally in a poor shape. Environment officials predict that China would need us $54.2 billion over the next five years to control pollution. To improve the air quality, vehicles in China will now have to undergo pollution tests.