The river Eems is to undergo a thorough clean up and the government is working on a plan for the project, junior agriculture minister Henk Bleker said on Friday.

He was reacting to a demand from the Labour and Christian Democrat parties to do something about the state of the Eems, say newspaper reports.
For most of the year, the river is devoid of life because of the build up of silt caused by the constant dredging to keep shipping channels open and the artificially high water level needed to keep large ships moving.
Cross border
Bleker will have to discuss the plan with his German counterparts because the source of the river is in Germany. It becomes a Dutch river near Delftzijl.
No mention was made of the two massive power stations being built at the Eemshaven port at the mouth of the river. Complaints have already been made by the people of the German town of Borkum about plans to deepen the Eem for coal ships.
An action plan to clean up the river was announced four years ago but never put into action.