PERSISTENT PROBLEM: Despite a year of water treatment, blue-green algae has broken out again this year in Wuxi, in east China's Jiangsu Province

Outbreaks of blue-green algae, which sparked last May's water pollution crisis in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, hit Taihu Lake again this summer and affected the water supply of millions of people. Early this April, large areas of algae emerged in western and southern parts of the lake, a month earlier than in 2007, according to Lin Zexin, Deputy Director of the Management Bureau of Taihu Area. Some experts have predicted that this summer there will be a large-scale outbreak of algae.

The Taihu area, featuring its fast growth of township enterprises, is one of China's most developed regions and makes up 10 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Rapid economic growth has been accompanied by a degeneration of water quality, which now lingers between inferior level-4 and level-5.

China's State Council launched a campaign in December 1998 to tackle pollution in Taihu Lake, spending millions of yuan, but accomplishing little.

"The resolution has not been implemented into the townships and enterprises, it has not become a conscious action of ordinary people," said Zhang Lijun, Vice Minister of Environmental Protection. Another reason for the failure to tackle the problem has been that responsibility for river management is unclear due to the separated river section management system.

Lin acknowledged that dealing with the pollution in Taihu Lake requires a long battle rather than a short-term action. Water in the lake is in the medium level of eutrophication. It takes at least three to five years to control this level of pollution, and failure to do so could otherwise have long-term ecological consequences.

The provincial government of Jiangsu has initiated an emergency plan to ensure drinking water safety and that the outbreak of algae does not evolve into a water crisis.

Severe shortages

China is the world's largest water consumer but the per-capita water resource in China is just one quarter of the world's average level. It's estimated that two thirds of China's over 600 cities are thirsty for water, of which 100 have severe water shortages.

According to Zhou Shengxian, Minister of Environmental Protection, water pollution is common in China and pollution control has lagged behind. The overall water situation is critical as the country continues to industrialize, creating more polluting industries and companies that consume high levels of water and energy. Despite an increasing focus on green production there has been no significant decrease in water pollution as a result.

Zhou said that half of the country's 20,000 chemical plants are located along the Yangtze River and some 3,800 are along the Yellow River. The use of water remains inefficient and water resources are often spoiled by companies breaking the law.

The goal

China's shortage of water resources is deepening as industrial pollution lowers water quality.

The country planned to invest 256.5 billion yuan ($34.2 billion) to enhance pollution control over 11 water valleys including Huaihe River, Liaohe River and the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River, said Wang Jinnan, an engineer with the Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning, an institution directly under the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The key pollution control areas include 23 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, 812.8 billion cubic meters of water, covering an area of 2.75 million square km and a population of 788 million, Wang said at a domestic forum on environment and development, in October 2007.

The key pollution management projects are classified in three categories: industrial pollution management, urban sewage management and regional pollution control. Taking into consideration the cost of the operation and maintenance of these projects, the investment into the 11 water valleys will amount to 450 billion yuan ($64 billion).

The goal must be clarified before tackling the river pollution, said Zhou. In the long run, the virtuous cycle of river ecological systems must be maintained.

The short-term goal is that drinking water sources must meet the safety standards by the end of 2008; 70 percent of urban sewage must be treated; the discharge of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) should be cut by 10 percent from 2005; and water monitoring and pollution emergency responses must be enhanced.

Measures

Water pollution is caused by a combination of social activities and economic development, said Ma Zhong, a professor with the College of Environmental Sciences at Renmin University of China.

Water pollution control is a hard task for both the Central Government and local governments. Provinces along the Yellow River and Haihe River whose economy is underdeveloped face financial pressure when dealing with water pollution. For the developed east and coastal areas, the key is to coordinate the relationship between the environment and economic growth. In China's recent history, the pursuit of economic growth has ignored damage to the environment.

Shuitou Township in east China's Wenzhou City is famous for its leather production. The 36-square-km town with a population of 100,000 was home to some 1,200 small leather factories that employed some 30,000 people, which caused critical pollution to the local water and air quality. The local government took measures to tackle damage to the environment, forcing closure and consolidation in the industry that saw 1,200 small workshops become 39 large ones. The shrinking of the leather processing industry shrunk local government finances by 150 million yuan ($21.4 million) a year, but non-polluting industries are emerging to take the place of the closed workshops.

Crossover pollution is one of the main reasons for the deterioration of China's overall water situation, according to professor Yao Kailun from Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Different sections of a river are under the jurisdiction of different administrative regions, which adds to difficulty in coordination and cooperation in water pollution control.

In the light of this, the Jiangsu Provincial Government has made a new regulation that cities along the river that flow into the Taihu Lake must pay compensation to cities on the lower reaches, where pollution is worst. Jiangsu has also signed contracts with its neighboring provinces of Shandong, Anhui and Zhejiang to co-manage pollution treatment.

The Chinese Government has given priority to water pollution in recent years, closing down many heavy-polluting small enterprises and encouraging green production. As a result, the urban water supply has been ensured and the overall water environment remained stable.

According to Zhou, China plans to adopt six major measures to ensure pollution control. The discharge of pollutants will be rigidly controlled, he said, and projects that could lead to large amounts of industrial wastewater will not be approved.

Industrial pollution discharge will be closely monitored. Establishing scientific garbage treatment and reducing the use of pesticides and fertilizers will reduce agricultural pollution.

Urban sewage treatment levels will be raised and the protection of drinking water sources enhanced. Finally, the general plan of integrating water exploitation and ecology protection should be further implemented.