HARBIN, Dec. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- Northeastern Heilongjiang Province is considering a proposal raised by the Russian side to build a temporary dam at the confluence of its Heilong and Wusuli rivers to prevent the water sources of a neighboring Russian city from being contaminated, said a local water resources official Wednesday.

    Khabarovsk, an important city in Russia's Far Eastern region, relies heavily on the Wusuli River, the boundary river of China and Russia, for civil and industrial use.

    The city's water intake is in the lower reaches of the Fuyuan waterway, which joins the Heilong River and the Wusuli River.

    The pollution spill in Songhua River, a tributary of the Heilong River,was caused by an explosion at a Chinese petrochemical plant early November. It is estimated that about 100 tons of benzene, a harmful chemical, spilled into the river.

    At the request of the Russian side, a temporary project will start on the Fuyuan waterway to block the flow of the polluted water, said sources of the provincial water resources department.

    On Tuesday, the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources sent an expert panel to Jiamusi, where the waterway stands, to study the possibility of building the dam.

    According to the initial investigation, there are two two advantages to construct the temporary project.

    "The water at the Fuyuan waterway is 0.91 meter at its deepest and 0.3 to 0.4 meter deep on average. In addition, the current velocity of water there is almost zero," said an expert. Enditem