Pollution blocking water path

BEIJING - Lingering pollution problems in East China's sprawling cities and counties have stretched the budget for the eastern route of the country's South-to-North Water Diversion Project and added to the difficulties inherent in maintaining the quality of drinking water in the north, a senior official has said.

Efforts to control pollution along the 1,400 km-route have run into new obstacles, largely because of population growth and industrial expansion in counties and townships along the route, Lu Zhenlin, office director in charge of the construction of the program's eastern route in Jiangsu province, told China Daily.

As a result, more projects have to be adopted to clean up the waterways, he said.