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September 15, 2015

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Home » Metro » Environment

Sewage, construction waste hinder river clean-up

ENVIRONMENTAL officials have pledged to start cleaning Yaodungang River in Minhang District’s Huacao Town this month.

It is one of a batch of 24 city rivers identified earlier this month by the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau as being heavily polluted.

While measures were announced to clean 23 of these, plans for Yaodungang River, which flows into Suzhou Creek, were said to have been “in progress” until yesterday.

A bureau report found that the density of dissolved oxygen there is below two milligrams per liter.

Local authorities said illegal construction work and sewage discharges create difficulties in improving water quality.

Huacao Town government said more than 5,000 square meters of illegal construction work — such as house extensions — by villagers along the riverbank would impede work.

Part of the pollution in the 3-kilometer stretch of river that passes by Weixing, Jiwang and Zhaojia villages is caused by dumped construction waste.

Sewage is also a problem in the river, along which some 6,000 residents live.

“The river has been polluted by the large quantity of sewage discharged from nearby residential areas,” said Shen Qing, deputy chief of Huacao Town.

“No sewage management system had been built for the old villages along the river.”

Shen said that the town has drawn up a short-term plan which includes dredging the river to increase the water flow and thus improve water quality.

A longer-term clean-up plan will be made in conjunction with the area’s regional development plan, added the official.

This is likely to include pulling down illegal constructions and building sewage discharge systems.

Local authorities expect the water quality of Yaodungang to be “largely improved” by the end of next year.

The city rivers identified by the bureau as being heavily polluted in this first batch are in Baoshan, Yangpu, Minhang, Jinshan and Qingpu districts and the Pudong New Area.

One of the city targets this year is improving river water quality.




 

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