According to the 10th "Five-year Plan" for National Environmental Protection recently published by State Environmental Protection Administration, the main tasks for environmental protection in this period are to reduce by 20 percent the discharging volume of sulfur dioxide from that of 2000 in pollution-control areas affected by acid rain and sulfur dioxide, thus basically abating the "virulent five" indexes of sectional water quality in key pollution-control valleys.

The environment situation, such as the quality of air and surface water in medium and large cities will be largely improved.

As sources say, China adopted pollutant discharging volume control strategy for environmental protection in the past, i.e., to keep the gross volume of pollutant discharge under control at a certain ratio.

For instance, during the ninth "Five-Year" Plan period China set the target to keep the discharging volume of main pollutants within the bounds of that at the end of the eighth "Five-Year" Plan period by 2000.

Thanks to the indefatigable efforts of various circles, the gross discharging volume of main pollutants in 2001 did not break the bounds set for the end of eighth "Five-Year" Plan period with the GDP up by over 8 percent annually.

Person in charge of the State Environmental Protection Administration expressed his full confidence in fulfilling the target of reducing the discharging volume of main pollutants by 10 percent.

It is relatively easy to reduce the discharging volume of five main pollutants, namely, oxygen needed for chemical reactions, smoke dirt, industrial dust, ammonia and nitrogen and industrial solid wastes, he said. In spite of the difficulties in reducing the discharging volume of sulfur dioxide, the country will vigorously promote the development of desulfurizing techniques so as to ensure the fulfillment of the planned target.

To match with the goal, China's State Environmental Protection Administration drew up programs of key projects for the implementation of "China Green Projects Program" (second phase).

The program includes 1,137 items, involving a total of RMB 262 billion-yuan in investment.

Experts pointed out that the major achievements made in the past had vigorously encouraged the circles.

As sources say, during the ninth "Five-Year" Plan period, China altogether banned and shut down more than 84,000 small enterprises which produced severe pollutants with no hope to be harnessed. Over 90 percent of industrial enterprises reached the standard for main pollutants discharging.

Progressive achievements have been made in key areas, thereby laying a solid foundation for the practice of the 10th "Five-Year" Plan as set for National Environmental Protection.

(People's Daily January 29, 2002)