China to dismantle hundreds of pig farms to save river

Beijing: China will dismantle hundreds of pig and poultry farms along the southern Xiangjiang river in order to save it from pollution.

Central China`s Hunan Province has decided to relocate or close hundreds of farms set up within 1,000 meters of the river and its tributaries by 2016. Earlier this year China`s largest city, Shanghai, faced a grim situation after its main water source, the Huangpu River, was flooded with thousands of pig carcasses dumped by farms on its banks. Hunan`s clean-up plan will cover 67 counties and cities, including Changsha, Xiangtan, Zhuzhou and Hengyang. The provincial environment protection department is investigating the number and the scale of the farms, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Known as the "mother river", Xiangjiang is a major water source for Hunan and runs 856 km across the province into China`s second-largest freshwater lake, Dongting. Hunan is China`s top pig producer with annual production of 80 million. However, booming business has given rise to a major pollution problem, with an estimated 140 million tonnes of excrement released into the river. Under the new plan, no farm will be allowed to be built within 1,000 meters of the Xiangjiang`s banks. The government will also provide technological support to the relocated farms to help them meet the official waste emission standard.