Foam is seen along a one-kilometer-long section of Shaying River, the major branch of the Huaihe River, yesterday resulted from increasing waste discharges from plants on the upper river. The polluted water is threatening drinking water supplies to people along the lower reaches of the river.

The Huaihe River, which originates from Tongbai Mountain in central China's Henan Province, flows eastwardly between Yellow and Yangtze rivers. The line formed between the Huaihe River and the Qinling Mountains in west China serves as a watershed for climate changes in the country.

(Xinhua News Agency March 14, 2007)