Pollution got worse in east Anhui's Chaohu Lake last month as more chemical fertilizer was flushed into the lake during the rainy season, Xinhua News Agency said today.

 

Chaohu Lake was classified as more polluted in August than the medium pollution in July due to excessive phosphor at the west half of the lake, the provincial environmental protection bureau has said recently.

 

More nutrient substances, which many algae live on, were detected in the lake last month than the previous month.

 

Three of the nine branches of the lake were badly polluted, one medium polluted and five lightly polluted, said the bureau.

 

The total amount of water pollutants discharged into the lake didn't see significant increase in August, Xiao Pu, a senior official with the bureau, told Xinhua.

 

Xiao attributed the worsening situation to the frequent rains in July and early August. A huge amount of chemical fertilizers were flushed from plants into the lake.

 

Chaohu Lake, which got its name from its bird nest shape, is located between the cities of Hefei and Chaohu in Anhui. It covers about 13,000 square kilometers.

 

(Shanghai Daily September 4, 2007)