Beijing municipality will issue a report on water quality to the public periodically in order to assist in improving the prevention of water pollution and the city's ecology, People's Daily reported on Tuesday.

 

Last year 78 rivers in Beijing were inspected and 56 of them did not reach the required standard. The ecology of the water in lakes is also poor with the index of phosphorous and nitrogen high. The water quality of rivers and lakes is worse in the immediate area of the city center.

 

To assist in recognizing and preventing pollution, Beijing is to issue the periodical report on water quality. Similar to the present air quality status report the water quality status of the rivers and the level of pollutants will be reported to the public. This initiative aims to safeguard the rights of citizens to know the environmental status and promote an understanding of the pollution treatment and water environment.

 

Further measures will be taken. Beijing will formalize the procedures for the prevention of pollution in Haihe River Basin. Work will be undertaken to better protect the available drinking water resources to ensure safety and quality. The city will strengthen the eutrophication monitoring of rivers and lakes to insure that water quality is improved.

 

Ji Lin, vice mayor of Beijing, said the total amount of pollutants being discharged in Beijing remained high and the pollution problem was serious. This year the city will make great efforts to prevent and properly address the problem.

 

The work will focus on four areas -- managing the relationship between the environment and development; promoting a complete improvement to the quality of the environment, solving the environmental problems which affect the health and safety of city residents and developing a safety system for the Beijing's environment.

 

Director-general of Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau Shi Hanmin said that although the city had made some significant achievements in the environmental protection in the past five years, there was still disparity with national standards, the requirements of a Green Olympics, the objective of becoming a city suitable for enjoying life and the general expectations of the citizens.

 

He said the general goal of the city in following five years was to improve both the environmental quality of life and the ecological environment.

 

(China.org.cn by Zhou Jing, March 3, 2006)