A watergate in Sanshui District in Foshan City is being rebuilt to allow the Beijiang River to flow to Guangzhou and Foshan, giving the two cities cleaner water.

The existing Xinan Watergate was built in 1954 to alleviate floods, but the 1.8-meter-high watergate foundation also prevented the Beijiang River from flowing into the Xinan stream in Foshan and the Pearl River at normal times.

Without sufficient water flows, the water quality in the two cities has deteriorated.

Demolition of the existing watergate began Monday. A new watergate with a 0.5-meter-high foundation will be built before March 31, 2005 to allow a regular flow of water from the Beijiang River into Foshan and Guangzhou.

The rebuilding is part of a 2.5-billion-yuan (US$302 million) project to clean up the Lubao and Xinan streams and the Pearl River.

When the project is completed, residents in Guangzhou and Foshan will have access to cleaner tap water. The shortage of water for farming will also be relieved.

Editor: Olivia