Polluting Restaurants Closed in China's Scenic CitySeven restaurants were closed Saturday for discharging pollutants into West Lake, a major tourist attraction in Hangzhou, the provincial capital of east China's Zhejiang Province.The restaurants -- Lingfei, Yunhai, Jinsha, Xinfeng, Longjing, Dada, and Taiziling -- were releasing waste water into streams which flow into the upper reaches of the lake. An official with the city government said the move is part of Hangzhou's endeavor to clean up the lake. The city launched a campaign to ban rubbish and polluted water from entering the lake in April and set the deadline of June 30 for all restaurants, plants and other businesses to stop discharging pollutants into the lake. A dredging project is also underway to remove silt from the lake. When the project is completed, the official said, the average depth of the lake water is expected to increase from the current 1. 65 meters to 2.15 meters. |
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