Beijing has ordered officials to halt a trend of worsening contamination by the end of this decade, and ensure anyone pumping pollution into the lakes has a permit, the report said, citing orders from the country's State Council or cabinet.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China plans to clean up its major lakes, which are choked with pollution and over-exploited, but the target date for returning them to their original state is 2030, the official Xinhua agency said on Tuesday.
Beijing has ordered officials to halt a trend of worsening contamination by the end of this decade, and ensure anyone pumping pollution into the lakes has a permit, the report said, citing orders from the country's State Council or cabinet.
It has also banned low-tech or highly polluting industries, such as tanning, printing, paper-making and chemicals, from the area around major lakes.
Standards for waste treatment will be tightened up by June, with suspension or closure facing those that do not meet them. However China's environment officials are relatively weak, and the report made no mention of beefing up enforcement powers.
!ADVERTISEMENT!Algae blooms have poisoned the waters of at least three major lakes, Taihu, Chaohu and Dianchi, which provide drinking water for millions.
In a bid to tackle the problem all fish farms should be removed from the areas round the three lakes by the end of this year, and nitrogen and phosphorous removal facilities added or improved in all sewage treatment plants, the report said.
Also filthy are the reservoir behind the Three Gorges Dam, and two other major hydropower projects. China has low per capita water resources by global standards, but its problems have been compounded by poor management and years of promoting economic growth at almost any cost.
Scarce or dirty water has caused protests in some areas, worrying stability-obsessed officials. The government also warns that global warming will likely exacerbate droughts in the north and flooding in the south.
(Reporting by Emma Graham-Harrison)
