"Restoring Houses to Lake" project on the north bank of Fuxian Lake started

On August 18, the "Restoring Houses to Lake" Ecological Wetland Project on the north bank of Fuxian Lake was started in Yunnan, with a view to beautifying the most heavily polluted areas of Fuxian Lake. 

Located in the region of Yuxi city, Yunnan province, Fuxian Lake is one of China's largest deep freshwater lakes. Due to human activities, project development, unqualified sewage interception projects and so on, Fuxian Lake basin has long been under huge pressure in terms of its environment bearing capacity. Around the lake, the pollutants flowing into the lake on the north bank account for 70 percent of the total pollutants in the lake basin, so treatment on the north bank is critical to Fuxian Lake's protection initiatives. 

It is estimated that about 7 billion yuan ($1.1 billion) will be invested into the ecological wetland project on the north bank of Fuxian Lake. The project covers a total area of 10,000 mu or so, including farmland of over 3,500 mu. And about 15,000 residents of 21 villages as well as 16 enterprises and public institutions are expected to be relocated. Working to build the "country's first-class and world renowned" ecological wetland on the north bank of Fuxian Lake, the project will bring into full play the ecological functions of the lakeside zone, and focus on the construction of a protective wetland, so as to build a comprehensive wetland featuring such functions as ecological protection, landscape appreciation, and tourism into one, building scenic landscape belts along its banks, and strengthening regional eco-environmental security.

It is said that to guarantee the Class I water quality of Fuxian Lake is the primary mission for ecological protection of Yuxi city. The “Restoring Houses to Lake” Ecological Wetland Project on the north bank of Fuxian Lake will further resolve the pollution issue with rural areas. In the future, Yuxi will complete the relocation management work of the areas concerned in a planned way, so as to make good the protection of Fuxian Lake. 

Up to now, the project has attraccted a total investment of 376 million yuan. To be more specific, the main project of the Wetland Construction Project Phase I, which plans to construct a wetland of 631 mu in Dahekou area, Mafang Village area and other wetland construction areas, has basically come to an end. 283 agreements on rural housing have been signed with residents of Relocation Area Phase I which covers Group 1 and Group 2 of Guanglong, Group 5 and Group 6 of Mafang Village and involves 1,498 persons from 457 families; and the Allocation House Phase I has been under construction since July 15.

Edited by Brian Salter, Huang Pei