Beijing Feb 15 (IANS) China will dredge a middle section of the Yangtze to improve water flow in the country s longest river.
The National Development and Reform Commission will fully finance the $635 million project making a 386.5 km-long waterway on the river suitable for heavy freight liners Xinhua news reported.
Under the plan by 2019 the waterway between Wuhan -- capital of central China s Hubei Province -- and Anqing City in east China s Anhui Province will be dredged to reach a minimum depth of 6 meters and 200 meters in width to allow 10 000-tonne ships to travel from the estuary to the river s middle reaches in Wuhan and 5 000-tonne ships to go further inland to Yichang City in Hubei Province.
China issued a guideline for the green development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt in 2017.
It is among a series of measures to build world-class industrial clusters manufacturing electronics high-end equipment automobiles home appliances and clothing along the river.
--IANS
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