SHIJIAZHUANG, Nov. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese water conservancy experts have warned against economic development achieved at the cost of water sources pollution.

    The warning came following a survey and investigation undertaken in north China's Hebei Province on sewage and waste discharge into 144 rivers in the province.

    The survey, lasting more than one month, found that 1.7 billiontons of waste water are discharged every year into the rivers in the province. The discharge includes water pollutants of more than600,000 tons of COD (chemical oxygen demand), 50,000 tons of ammonia and nitrogen, and 1,350 tons of volatile hydroxy benzene

    The local serious river pollution, which mainly stems from industrial production, urban daily life and fertilizer and pesticide used in farming, have led to decreasing aquatic product output and even the extinction of shellfish, shrimp, and crab and other living creatures in the rivers.

    Experts have thus called for the development of service and hi-tech industries, which consume less energy and water and have fewer discharges. Enditem