Zhejiang Enhances Water Pollution Control On Lake Taihu

Home>>Life

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, December 17, 2001

Zhejiang Enhances Water Pollution Control On Lake Taihu

East China's Zhejiang province has recently mapped out its plan to further reduce water pollution along the country's major freshwater lake, Lake Taihu during 2001-2005.

East China's Zhejiang province has recently mapped out its plan to further reduce water pollution along the country's major freshwater lake, Lake Taihu during 2001-2005.

According to the plan, the quality of water flowing into the lake from the populous, traditional rice-producing Hangzhou- Jiaxing-Huzhou area will remain at level III, a Chinese standard for slightly polluted water suitable for aquatic farming but not for drinking.

China divides water quality into five levels, with level II water suitable for drinking and level V heavily polluted.

Located at the center of the Yangtze River Delta, Lake Taihu is the third biggest freshwater lake in China. The Hangzhou-Jiaxing- Huzhou area accounts for one third of Taihu's drainage area, but water in the urban area is polluted due to discharge of domestic and industrial pollutants.

During 2001-2005, new polluting projects that consume large amount of water will be banned in the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou area, and existing polluting industries, such as dyeing, leather-making, chemical, and paper-making, must introduce clean-up measures to reduce the discharge of pollutants, according to the plan.

By 2005, at least 70 percent of domestic sewage in the urban part of the drainage area will be treated and 90 percent of domestic waste will be rendered harmless before being buried.

Meanwhile, in order to reduce farm pollution of water, farmers in the area will be encouraged to adopt ecological farming and to restrict their number of poultry and livestock. Waste water from big poultry and livestock farms will have to be treated and reach official discharge standards.

The province has shut down 570 plants which have caused serious pollution in the area during the past five years, and 2,700 plants have reduced their discharge of pollutants.

Water treatment facilities with a combined handling capacity of 880,000 tons have been built and began operations in the area during 1996-2000.

Lake Taihu, located in neighboring Jiangsu province, has suffered serious water pollution, causing the frequent spread of blue and green algae in the past years.

It is learned that Jiangsu also began reducing water pollution of the lake in a similar way over the past few years with the help of the central government. About 54 waste water treatment plants have been built or are under construction along the lake, which covers an area of 2,420 square kilometers.

Pollution Control in Taihu Lake to Cost 20 Bil: SEPA