The top environmental official has called for improved measures
to protect the country's lakes, warning that a major outbreak of
blue-green algae may hit the nation's three major water
systems.
Addressing a meeting of environmental officials in Hefei, east
China's Anhui Province, on Thursday, State Environment
Protection Administration (SEPA) Minister Zhou Shengxian said that
Caohu Lake, Dianchi Lake and the tributaries near the Three Gorges
Dam on the Yangtze River, the country's longest, may be hit.
Zhou said high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in the
water, which foster outbreaks of algae, remain a major problem for
the country's natural lakes, which are disappearing at a rate of 20
a year.
SEPA has imposed a number of bans in areas near the Taihu,
Chaohu and Dianchi lakes.
All projects involving discharges containing ammonia and
phosphorus were prohibited in those areas, while the production,
use and sale of detergents containing phosphorous was also banned
around the lake drainage areas.
In addition, all fish farms will be removed from the three lakes
by the end of next year.
In an interview with People's Daily, Zhou said that the
country now has enough "economic strength" to afford to let some
areas "recover in peace."
"The rapid economic growth of some places is at the cost of the
environment," he was quoted as saying.
"We may have to sacrifice a little speed in terms of economic
development at the first stage of recovery, but what we gain is an
improvement of economic and environment quality as well as
long-term steady development," he said.
Large-scale algae outbreaks hit several major fresh lakes in the
country this summer, sparking a new round of concern over the
deteriorating quality of the nation's water supplies.
Notably, a severe algae bloom in Taihu Lake threatened the
safety of drinking water in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, a city with a population of almost 6
million.
As a demonstration of his determination, Li Yuanchao, the Party secretary of Jiangsu
Province, vowed to radically overhaul the environment of Taihu
Lake, even if this impacts local economic growth.
Speaking at a State Council meeting on Wednesday, Premier Wen Jiabao warned of the "grim situation" and
"huge difficulty" the nation faced in tackling pollution.
SEPA has rolled out a host of tough new rules to tackle
worsening lake pollution while slamming shortsighted policies that
encouraged local officials to turn a blind eye to environmental
hazards.
Earlier this month, SEPA halted industrial projects in six
cities, two counties and five industrial parks in the basins of the
Yangtze, Yellow, Huaihe and Haihe rivers, the country's most
polluted.
(China Daily July 14, 2007)
