China determined to clean its water
Print Edition
CHINA yesterday announced an action plan to intensify the fight against water pollution throughout the country.
The Action Plan for Water Pollution Prevention and Control aims to reduce pollutants, improve drinking water and promote water saving, according to the State Council, China’s cabinet.
It includes measures to control pollutant emissions, eliminate highly polluting industries while pushing the development of clean energy, tighten water source management and develop the environmental protection industry.
The action plan is aimed at seeing a significant improvement in water quality by 2020, with a massive reduction in serious pollution, a continual improvement in the quality of tap water and strict controls on the extraction of underground water.
The aquatic ecosystem has been severely damaged in many parts of China, threatening public health and economic development, the State Council said.
Specifically, the plan said that more than 70 percent of the water in the seven major river valleys, including the Yangtze and Yellow rivers, should be in good condition by 2020. The same target is set for offshore areas.
By the end of 2030, more than 75 percent of the water in the seven major river valleys should be clear and “black and lousy” water in urban areas eliminated.
Small factories in sectors including papermaking, insecticides and tanning will be shut down by the end of 2016, as they are weak in environmental protection, Xinhua news agency reported. Bigger projects in these sectors must update their technology to meet emission requirements.
From next year, a blacklist will name businesses that exceed their pollutant quota, with serious violators risking the possibility of closure, Xinhua said.
The action plan also calls for preservation of wetlands, mangrove swamps and coral reefs. Aquatic reserves should also be better protected.
Pollution checks will be conducted every year and the results will be part of performance reviews of provincial officials.
Officials who fail to handle water pollution incidents effectively and those who fabricate statistics will be held accountable.
The central government will regularly announce lists of cities with the best and poorest water quality.
According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, underground water in 57 percent of the monitoring sites across China is polluted or extremely polluted and 298 million rural residents do not have access to safe drinking water.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
