Efforts are being made to reduce farm pollution in the Huaihe River valley and pollution in the river is expected to be brought under control by 2010, according to a report from the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) on Tuesday.

Pollution in the river caused by nitrogen fertilizer will be reduced by 17 percent or more than 30,000 tons, Wang Xiaohu, director of the environmental protection and monitoring institute of the MOA said at a meeting to discuss pollution prevention and control on the Huaihe River.

Excessive use of fertilizer and failures in sewage disposal are major factors leading to excessive nitrogen emission in river valleys.

A survey on pollution caused by farming in Henan, Anhui, Shandong, Jiangsu provinces of the Huaihe River valley was conducted by the MOA last year. It found that every year 1.83 million tons of nitrogen were produced by farming in the valley with 759,000 tons from crop production and 902,800 tons from the livestock and poultry sector and 169,400 tons from human waste.

Every year 183,100 tons of nitrogen flow into the Huaihe River each year, accounting for almost half of the river's pollution. Other waste contribute over 50% of the river's pollution.

Controlling the farming factor will decide whether pollution in the Huaihe River can be brought under control, said experts.

Located in central and east China, the Huaihe river valley covers an area of 270,000 square kilometers.

(Xinhua News Agency September 27, 2006)