Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, November 29, 2001
China Invests More in Pollution Control at Dianchi Lake
Southwest China's Yunnan Province will invest RMB 9 billion yuan (US$1.08 billion) to curb serious pollution at Dianchi Lake, a famous high plateau lake, in upcoming five years.
In addition, the provincial environmental protection department is seeking international cooperation in treating eutrophication in the lake.
Southwest China's Yunnan Province will invest RMB9 billion yuan (US$1.08 billion) to curb serious pollution at Dianchi Lake, a famous high plateau lake,in upcoming five years.
26 projects
The investment will be used to build 26 projects including construction of an urban sewage pipeline and a sewage disposal plant, dredging rivers which empty into Dianchi Lake and treating other pollutants in the region, said Deng Jiarong, deputy directorof the Yunnan Provincial Environmental Protection Bureau.
Major source of water in Kunming
The Dianchi Lake, covering 306 square kilometers, is the major source of water for industrial and agricultural use in Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province. It also plays a key role in balancing the city's environment.
Become murky
However, the water in the lake has become murky because of the industrial and domestic waste discharged into it over the past 20 years.
Pollution control projects
The local government has allocated 2.17 billion yuan to build 17 pollution control projects at Dianchi Lake. The current move will put the stress on building a drainage pipeline network.
Seeking international cooperation
As eutrophication is a global issue, the provincial environmental protection department is seeking international cooperation in treating eutrophication in the lake.
Dianchi Lake, which formed based upon a fault crossing the central Yunnan Plateau, is located at the foot of the Western Hills, southwest of Kunming. Occupying an area of 300 sqkm, the lake, 150km in circumference and 40km from north to south, is the sixth largest fresh water lake in China. Being a highland lake with an elevation of 1885 meters, the lake is also reputed as a "Pearl on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau."
The lake, capable of tossing up violent storms, is especially beautiful when the dawn or dusk comes. People describe the lake's moods as "virility seasoned with tenderness." High rectangular sails ribbed with bamboo battens float on the water and gently sway in the breeze. The shoreline of Dianchi Lake is dotted with small fishing hamlets surrounded by fertile fields.
Since the ancient times, Dianchi Lake has been a touring spot. Sailing on the lake, visitors can fully enjoy the beauty of the highland lake. In recent years, the water in Dianchi Lake has been severely polluted and the lake now is groaning for effective ecological and legal protection. Since the 1990s, the government has dealt with the pollution of the lake and people hope that in the near future, a clean Dianchi Lake would appear again.