China Environmental Law

The Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) is undertaking a major review of Yangtze River pollution loads and discharges.  Chinanews.com reports (Chinese only, see here for an abbreviated English translation).  Enforcement actions will be taken against those entities that are found to be discharging without a permit or in excess of their permit limits.  This is billed as the first large scale river basin enforcement campaign since the establishment of the MEP.  In addition to the Yangtze itself, the campaign will address 10 tributaries of the Yangtze: the Yalong, Dadu, Min, Tuo, Jialing, Wu, Yuan, Xiang, Han, and Gan Rivers. The four major goals of the campaign are to:

1. Determine the state of water quality monitoring, especially wastewater outfall monitoring.

2. Determine the water bodies’ total load capacity of COD and (if my translation is correct) Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN).

3. Measure the quantity and quality of wastewater discharged into the river by direct dischargers of wastewater including enterprises and urban sewage treatment plants.

4. Investigate and deal with illegal discharges especially from enterprises where no pollution treatment facilities exist and urban sewage treatment plants.

Given the fact that the Yangtze is about 6,300 km long (and the tributaries have to double that length) and has huge concentrations of industry and population along its banks, this is a monumental task.  If it is carried out properly and follows through with its enforcement threats, it could have profound effects on water quality.  Good luck!