Hunan Province has shut down 146 small-sized papermaking factories around Dongting Lake that failed to meet the regulation on emitting pollutants in a campaign aiming to protect the environment there.

Regions around Dongting Lake are rich in bulrushes and quickly growing forests, which provide abundant productive materials for local papermakers and help with the boom of the highly-polluting industry around the lake.

However, with a huge profit, these factories also brought unexpected side effect on environment. According to Hunan Environmental Protection Bureau, the factories have emitted over 1.7 billion tonnes of wastewater above national standards and 170,000 contaminants into the lake.

People's Daily reported the Hunan provincial government is determined to entirely renovate these factories that has no environment protection device or has devices work abnormally, so as to protect the ecological system of the lake and guarantee safe drinking water for locals.

It also hopes to turn the tables in curbing the deteriorating environmental situation in Dongting Lake.

In a circular released at the end of 2006, the provincial government regulated all papermakers must install soda recovery units and ensure wastewater within allowed standards before a March 31 deadline. Otherwise, the factories would be shut down.

The provincial governor Zhou Qiang said this move will remain in place for a long time to put an end to pollutions from papermaking factories once and for all.

On the other hand, the government has also taken measures to meet with the interests of the plants and their workers. Local government will help laid-off workers with reemployment and local revenue is to afford environmental equipment upgrade in the factories close to the standards.

The secretary of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, Zhang Chunxian, pointed out that the sulfur dioxide emission in Hunan has been fairly above the average of the country. It also fails to meet standards for the chemical oxygen demand, an index for measuring oxygen consumption in oxidation in water.

However, the shutdown doesn't mean the makers have no chance to revive. The government said if they can lift the output to or above 50,000 tonnes per year and ensure the soda recovery units run smoothly by the end of this year, they can resume production right away.

(CRI April 1, 2007)