The wetlands around Weishan Lake in southwest Shandong. Photos Provided to China Daily

 

Ambitious efforts to improve waters, wetlands and forests

Shandong will see a fundamental change in its environment as the province puts great efforts into construction of environmental facilities, said Jiang Yikang, Party secretary of the province.

It plans to have a "circular economic system" and green development model in place by 2015 to reduce the main pollutants.

Water quality will also be improved, with over 90 percent of urban effluent treated.

Both urban and rural household refuse will be disposed of or treated by using advanced techniques, according to the provincial development plan. The green coverage rate in the urban areas will reach 40 percent while forest coverage across Shandong will grow to 25 percent.

"Shandong will protect the environment and is expected to be a pioneer in ecological civilization," Jiang said.

Shandong's efforts in environmental preservation started in 2003 when the province launched an outline for improvements.

Over the past six years, 59 polluted rivers in Shandong have been treated to reach a water quality able to sustain fish.

The achievement won the province three successive championships in national assessment of pollution control on the Huaihe River Basin as well as five successive national awards for pollution control in its sea and rivers.

Shandong issued requirements on strengthening aquatic ecosystems last November that calls for 60 billion yuan ($9.4 billion) in investment in six major projects over the following 10 years.

The province's aquatic program focuses on the eight major water systems that flow through Shandong, including the Yellow, Haihe, Dawen, Xiaoqing, Yishu and Weihe rivers, as well as Nansi Lake and Peninsula River Basin.

Efforts on four major zones along important rivers in Shandong will be accelerated, according to the latest plan.

Engineering measures used to improve eco-fragile areas around the Yellow River Delta will include introducing clean water, diverting water from other regions, planting trees and watershed management.

Existing water quality in four lakes in the south of Shandong and Dongping Lake will be protected.

The plan also calls for an environmental protection system along Shandong's coast and provincial boundary.

Shandong will speed up forestation projects in the watershed by developing green corridors. Farmland will also be returned to a forest state.

The province will also carry out wetland conservation and restoration work focusing on the wetland nature reserves in Nansi Lake and Dongping Lake. Other wetland parks will be created in canals, at Xiashan Mountain, on Yangma Island, on Bohai Bay and along some important rivers.

By 2015, 1.3 million hectares of new wetland park will be created and 130,000 hectares of wetland will be restored.

Shandong will implement comprehensive treatment of industrial and urban sewage along with mitigation of minor watershed pollution. It aims to complete 650 industrial source treatment projects and 350 minor watershed treatment projects by 2015.

Ji Yuan contributed to this story.

juchuanjiang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/05/2012 page24)