OREANDA-NEWS. October 28, 2011. Anhui's capital city of Hefei mulls over upgrading water navigation channel linking Yangtze River and Chaohu Lake, as well as developing a tourism port, in a bid to enhance river transport and promote local sightseeing business.

The moves are after recent administration adjustment, in which, part of once Chaohu City was included into Hefei.

Heyu River Channel, the only route enabling vessels to Yangtze River, starts from Xingang of Hefei, and ends in Yuxi River flowing to Yangtze, which is at a length of 138 kilometers.

The channel, consisting of three sections of Southern Feihe River, Chaohu Lake and Yuxi River, is a vital water line, since 90 percent of building materials supplying Hefei market and goods including grain, oil and raw chemical materials are shipped through the route.

The upgrading programme, which costs over 1.2 billion yuan, is listed as one of key projects in the province. After project is completed, the river channel is able to handle transport of up to 2,000 tons vessels during its wet season, while 1,000-ton vessels can pass the route all year long to the capital city.

Meanwhile, promoting tourism which takes advantage of Chaohu Lake is also on the agenda. A passenger transport pier is planned to be built, with water route of roughly 20 kilometers from Binhu District to Zhong Temple of Chaohu, which will provide another option for tourist to travel from Hefei to Chaohu Lake.