Hunan to tackle heavy metal invasion in Xiangjiang River

Beijing - Top government officials in Central China's Hunan province vowed to tackle the heavy metal pollution that has caused environmental deterioration and mounting health problems in Hunan.

Zhou Qiang, Party secretary of Hunan province, said on Tuesday at the ongoing annual session of National People's Congress that he is confident the heavy metal pollution of the Xiangjiang River will be controlled during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) period.

The pollution remediation plan of the country's most polluted river was included in the national blueprint. More than 40 million people live near the river, and local business within the region accounts for 70 percent of provincial GDP.