Shanghai city legislators are considering a proposal to ban more than 1,300 fishermen from raising fish in Dianshan Lake in suburban Qingpu District to prevent pollution of a local tap water source, according to district environment officials.

Dianshan lake, the biggest fresh water lake in the city with a surface area of about 66 million square meters, is a source of the Huangpu River, which supplies 70 percent of the city's tap water.

"It is a measure we have to take to protect the water source to ensure a clean supply," explained Zhang Xian, an official from the Qingpu District Environmental Protection Bureau.

According to him, the fish raising pollutes the water to a certain degree.

"Fish foods put into the lake deteriorates the water quality and makes it difficult for the water to purify itself," said Zhang.

"If not controlled, the fish raising could gradually endanger the tap water supply," he added.

The lake is already threatened by industrial pollution from neighboring provinces upstream. The pollution has deteriorated the lake's water quality to levels between category II and III on the water quality scale. The minimum standard for a tap water source is category II.

The planned ban has been forwarded to the municipality and is waiting for final approval, and the ban will be enforced by the end of this year, according to the district fishery office.

Apart from the ban, office officials said they have put certain breeds of fish that will improve the water quality into the lake to repair the lake ecology.

A limit budget, however, could prevent the plan from working properly, district fishery officials revealed over the weekend.

"The compensation standard hasn't come out," said an unnamed office official.

"But it will possibly be low under a tight budget to reduce the overall water improvement cost."

The office has proposed offering the fishermen the same social welfare as township residents and a proper sum of compensation, but that isn't likely to be approved, said the official, adding they have informed the fishermen of the possible ban.

The only benefit would be that the fishermen will be allowed to fish in the lake under certain limits after their fish farms are banned.

(Shanghai Daily February 21, 2005)