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January 11, 2017

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Provinces act to make your drinking water safer

SHANGHAI and its neighboring provinces have activated a joint plan against water pollution for the Yangtze River delta to protect drinking water.

The action will take into account the region’s joint efforts against air pollution, which was activated in 2014 by Shanghai and the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui.

Wang Qiang, deputy director of the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau’s Policy and Regulation Division, said the primary tasks include sharing information of each city and province’s sources of pollution, agreeing on discharge standards and balancing the need of waterway transportation and water environment protection.

“Water issues are more complicated compared to air polution,” Wang told Shanghai Daily yesterday. “It involves the needs of different cities and provinces. One local government wants to develop industry within a region, while the area serves as a catchment area for another city or province. That’s when conflicts occur.”

“We will mainly enhance communication at the beginning stage. Information will be shared and we hope to eventually reach an agreed standard on waste discharge within the region.”

Wang said environmental authorities in Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui will make lists of major enterprises and potential sources of pollution.

They will also share information about incidents of pollution.

“Mutual understanding and negotiation is crucial, since the joint action committee doesn’t have any enforcement power,” said Wang. “Support from the central government is also important.”




 

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