In response to a crusade to rejuvenate the country by developing science and technology, Wuxi - together with several other cities in Jiangsu Province - established a high-technology industrial park in 1992.

Covering 5.45 square kilometers and home to 350 foreign-funded firms, the technology-heavy zone has so far attracted US$3.5 billion investment from many world-renowned enterprises, such as Eastman Kodak Co., Siemens and Sony Corp.

Dominated by electronic information, biopharmaceutical and new material industries, the city recently won out over Shanghai on a Sony project with aluminum batteries. However, as elsewhere, Wuxi's economy is bolstered at the expense of the environment.

Just like Suzhou Creek in Shanghai, Wuxi's Taihu Lake has fallen victim to industrial pollution.

Fully aware of the problem, the Wuxi municipal government four years ago launched an all-out campaign to save the lake from further pollutions.

Industrial pollutants area are now being held in check by an automatic mechanism that monitors more than 20 factories 24 hours a day, checking whether they are meeting pollutant discharge requirements.

To date, 10 factories have been shut down for failure to comply with regulations.

In addition, the city plans to set up another 20 wastewater treatment plants in addition to ongoing programs such as the promotion of non-phosphor washing powder, silt dredging and the use of fuel-saving devices on barges.

The geographical location of Taihu Lake has further complicated their work, said Wang Liangpeng, director of Wuxi Environmental Protection Bureau.

The lake lies in the Yangtze River Delta, China's most economically developed region and major grain base. Shanghai and the provinces of Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang are within its boundaries.

The 2,340-square-kilometer delta area is populated by nearly 36 million people, an average of 1,000 for every square kilometer.

Although environmental protection efforts are paying off, the harnessing of Taihu Lake is still a long way off, according to Wang.

(www.eastday.com 01/11/2001)