China drafts rules on urban drainage, sewage treatment
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Xinhua, December 2, 2011
A draft regulation on urban drainage and waste water treatment, announced Friday to solicit public opinion, has promised more government investment and penalties for offenders.
Under the draft rules, the government will increase the budget in building drainage and sewage networks as well as treatment facilities and encourage non-public investment in this sector, according to the draft document published on the official website of the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council.
Once the construction plans of the urban drainage and sewage projects are adopted, they should be strictly implemented instead of using the land for other purposes, the draft said.
In all cities, drainage and sewage networks should be separated. The government will work to update old systems in which rain water and waste water are using the same network, the draft said.
Institutions and individuals must discharge sewage into the urban sewage network, according to government requirements.
Hospitals, restaurants, construction sites and industrial projects will have to process their waste water before discharging it into the sewage network. They will need certificates of sewage discharge from the government, the draft said.
Any construction projects should not affect the operation of drainage and sewage networks as well as treatment facilities, it said.
Individuals and institutions violating the rules will face a fine ranging from 1,000 to 300,0000 yuan (158 to 47,600 US dollars), according to the rules.
The draft will be open for the public to submit opinions until Jan. 10, 2012.
China is facing a serious water pollution problem. According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, one fifth of surface water in China cannot be used for any purposes.
Scandals of river water polluted by industrial waste have repeatedly broken out in recent years.
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