Construction of the world's highest railway line has posed unique
and challenging problems.
And ecological protection has topped the Qinghai-Tibet railway project's
agenda.
So far, effective measures have been put in place to protect the environment
along the railway, a senior environment official said on Friday.
Since the launch of construction work, authorities have continually carried
out environmental impact assessment and strengthened monitoring of the
environment, said Vice-Minister of the State Environmental Protection
Administration Pan Yue.
Perpetually frozen earth, rivers, wildlife and natural scenery along the
railway are being well protected, he said.
Stretching across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the line will be the first rail
link between Tibet and the rest of China.
It will run from Xining, capital of Northwest China's Qinghai Province to the
ancient Tibetan capital of Lhasa.
The first section from Xining to Golmud in Qinghai was completed in 1984.
Construction of the second section linking Golmud with Lhasa which began in June
2001 is expected to be completed by 2007.
The ecosystem along the railway's path is particularly fragile because of the
high altitude of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with its rarefied air and cold, dry
climate.
Construction areas are kept to a minimum and routes for workers and vehicles
to pass are strictly limited to avoid unnecessary damage to local vegetation,
said Pan.
Careful study of the habits and migration routes of wild animals living along
the proposed path of the line have been carried out. Where the track may disturb
those paths, alternative ones are built for the animals at corresponding points
along the railway.
Local wetlands and the vast expanse of frozen earth are also carefully
protected, while.
considerable efforts are made to keep the discharge of pollutants to a
minimum, said Pan.
The number of stations along the route will also be limited, to minimize
human contact.
Measures to treat daily life sewage will be adopted at where there must be
stations. The treated sewage will be used to water plants and grasslands within
the stations, rather than entering local surface water systems.
The stations themselves will run on clean energy, such as solar and wind
power, Pan added.