Two Dutch-made dredgers began operating on Beijing's Guanting Reservoir on Tuesday, marking the launching of a project to clean up the second largest source of drinking water for the nation's capital.
The dredging project is expected to cost 34.96 million yuan and will be completed by the end of August.
The reservoir, with a total capacity of 4.16 billion cubic meters, was first built in 1954 and has been extended four times since then.
Water supply and quality are top concerns for the municipal government of Beijing, the host of the 2008 Olympic Games.
(People's Daily April 25, 2002)
