Beijing municipality will issue a report on water quality to the
public periodically in order to assist in improving the prevention
of water pollution and the city's ecology, People's Daily
reported on Tuesday.
Last year 78 rivers in Beijing were inspected and 56 of them did
not reach the required standard. The ecology of the water in lakes
is also poor with the index of phosphorous and nitrogen high. The
water quality of rivers and lakes is worse in the immediate area of
the city center.
To assist in recognizing and preventing pollution, Beijing is to
issue the periodical report on water quality. Similar to the
present air quality status report the water quality status of the
rivers and the level of pollutants will be reported to the public.
This initiative aims to safeguard the rights of citizens to know
the environmental status and promote an understanding of the
pollution treatment and water environment.
Further measures will be taken. Beijing will formalize the
procedures for the prevention of pollution in Haihe River Basin.
Work will be undertaken to better protect the available drinking
water resources to ensure safety and quality. The city will
strengthen the eutrophication monitoring of rivers and lakes to
insure that water quality is improved.
Ji Lin, vice mayor of Beijing, said the total amount of
pollutants being discharged in Beijing remained high and the
pollution problem was serious. This year the city will make great
efforts to prevent and properly address the problem.
The work will focus on four areas -- managing the relationship
between the environment and development; promoting a complete
improvement to the quality of the environment, solving the
environmental problems which affect the health and safety of city
residents and developing a safety system for the Beijing's
environment.
Director-general of Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau Shi
Hanmin said that although the city had made some significant
achievements in the environmental protection in the past five
years, there was still disparity with national standards, the
requirements of a Green Olympics, the objective of becoming a city
suitable for enjoying life and the general expectations of the
citizens.
He said the general goal of the city in following five years was
to improve both the environmental quality of life and the
ecological environment.
(China.org.cn by Zhou Jing, March 3, 2006)