Close Menu
Nabka News
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • China
  • India
  • Pakistan
  • Political
  • Tech
  • Trend
  • USA
  • Sports

Subscribe to Updates

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news

Subscribe my Newsletter for New Posts & tips Let's stay updated!

What's Hot

Iran rejects nuclear talks with US

June 21, 2025

COAS makes pitch for trade with US

June 21, 2025

India fails both militarily and diplomatically against Pakistan: Bilawal

June 21, 2025
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
  • Home
  • About NabkaNews
  • Advertise with NabkaNews
  • DMCA Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contact us
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest Vimeo
Nabka News
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • China
  • India
  • Pakistan
  • Political
  • Tech
  • Trend
  • USA
  • Sports
Nabka News
Home » How China tackles pollution in its third-largest freshwater lake in 30 years-Xinhua
China

How China tackles pollution in its third-largest freshwater lake in 30 years-Xinhua

i2wtcBy i2wtcMarch 13, 2025No Comments5 Mins Read
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email WhatsApp Copy Link
Follow Us
Google News Flipboard Threads
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email Copy Link


* Taihu, China’s third-largest freshwater lake, has seen its water quality improve to its best level in 30 years.

* The lake’s water quality has improved from Grade V — the lowest level in China’s five-tier water quality rating system — to Grade III, which means it is now classed as “fairly good.”

* Strict environmental measures did not hinder economic development in the region, but spurred industrial transformation through scientific and efficient management.

NANJING, March 13 (Xinhua) — Taihu, China’s third-largest freshwater lake, lies in the country’s manufacturing heartland and has seen its water quality improve to its best level in 30 years, once again demonstrating China’s resolve to protect ecology as it pursues economic and social development.

Since 2007, the population of the Taihu Lake basin has increased by nearly 7 million, the region’s total economic output has expanded 3.6-fold. It now accounts for 10 percent of China’s total GDP. Meanwhile, the lake’s water quality has improved from Grade V — the lowest level in China’s five-tier water quality rating system — to Grade III, which means it is now classed as “fairly good.”

Restoring large lakes that suffer from eutrophication is a global challenge, but the experience of Taihu has proved that it is possible.

An aerial drone photo taken on March 21, 2024 shows the scenery of the Yuantouzhu scenic spot of the Taihu Lake, in Wuxi, east China’s Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

CLEANING LAKE WATER

Taihu, which spans 2,338 square kilometers, is located in the Yangtze River Delta region, one of China’s most industrialized and densely populated areas. As an important water source for 17 million people in east China, it has a history of pollution, most notably since the 1990s due to rapid industrialization and urbanization in the region.

In May 2007, a severe outbreak of blue-green algae in the waters of Wuxi City in Jiangsu Province disrupted the drinking water supply for over 1 million residents, earning Taihu the grim reputation of being the region’s “sewage sink.”

Shinichiro Matsuzaki, a researcher at Japan’s National Institute for Environmental Studies, said that Taihu’s ecosystem had been trapped in a “vicious cycle of decline.” What he did not expect, however, was how swiftly China not only halted further deterioration but also set the lake on the fast track to recovery.

One of the most critical steps to reducing internal pollution is large-scale dredging. Over the past two decades, approximately 55 million cubic meters of silt have been removed from Taihu Lake through various methods.

Tourists feed red-billed gulls at the Yuantouzhu scenic spot of the Taihu Lake, in Wuxi, east China’s Jiangsu Province, Nov. 29, 2024. (Photo by Huan Yueliang/Xinhua)

Taihu Star, an intelligent dredging vessel, was put into operation in March 2024. It uses advanced spiral cutter technology to extract and separate sediment, processing up to 5,000 cubic meters daily.

Jiangsu has been implementing a package of pollution control measures since 2007, putting pressure on phosphorus-related enterprises near the lake to reduce discharge, and promoting the collection and treatment of wastewater, among other measures. It has shut down or restructured nearly 60,000 pollutive factories.

To manage wastewater resulting from its growing population, the government has built 32,000 kilometers of sewage pipelines, equivalent to 80 percent of Earth’s equatorial circumference. This extensive infrastructure has significantly reduced the amount of household pollution that enters the lake.

This photo taken on March 13, 2021 shows a morning view of the Yuantouzhu scenic spot of the Taihu Lake, in Wuxi, east China’s Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)

Additionally, large-scale wetland restoration projects have strengthened the lake’s natural resilience. More than 30 ecological buffer zones and 190 wetland conservation areas have been established.

In September 2024, Jiangsu’s Department of Ecology and Environment launched an intelligent online platform, which monitors the water quality of Taihu Lake using automated monitoring data from over 400 locations, as well as information from more than 40,000 pollution sources.

With satellite imagery streaming in real-time, drones deployed on scheduled checks and artificial intelligence assigning tasks, the platform provides critical support for algae bloom monitoring, pollution source tracing, the issuance of water quality alerts, and ecological compensation mechanisms.

Last summer, the average area of the lake’s blue-green algae bloom dropped 15.8 percent year on year, and the average density dropped 17.5 percent, according to the department.

Staff members work at a semiconductor company at the Suzhou Industrial Park in Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province, Nov. 12, 2024. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)

UPGRADED INDUSTRIES

Strict environmental measures did not hinder economic development in the region, but spurred industrial transformation through scientific and efficient management.

In 2024, high-tech industries accounted for over half of the total output of industrial firms above the designated size in three major cities of Jiangsu: Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou. Suzhou’s biopharmaceutical sector exceeded 240 billion yuan (about 33.46 billion U.S. dollars), Wuxi’s semiconductor industry contributed more than 10 percent of national production, and Changzhou emerged as a major hub for new energy industries.

Robots weld bodyshells of cars at a workshop of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Li Auto Inc. in Changzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province, Jan. 10, 2024. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)

“The Taihu experience demonstrates that with the right policies and firm commitment, even large, shallow lakes can be effectively restored, and economic development and ecological protection can reinforce each other,” said Jiang Wei, director of Jiangsu’s Department of Ecology and Environment.

“Taihu Lake stands out as a benchmark for large-scale eutrophic lake restoration,” said Zhu Guangwei, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology. “Its transition from a ‘green soup’ to clear waters is an extraordinary achievement that brings invaluable lessons for the world.”  ■

(Video reporters: Lin Kai, Liu Yuxuan; Video editors: Zhang Yucheng, Roger Lott, Zhao Xiaoqing)



Source link

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email WhatsApp Copy Link
i2wtc
  • Website

Related Posts

China

China launches satellite Chinasat-9C-Xinhua

June 21, 2025
China

Russia willing to strengthen all-round collaboration with China: Putin-Xinhua

June 21, 2025
China

China-South Asia Expo provides new opportunities to bolster trade and cooperation-Xinhua

June 20, 2025
China

How innovation-driven development fuels economic growth in eastern coastal provinces-Xinhua

June 20, 2025
China

How multinationals view Chinese market-Xinhua

June 20, 2025
China

China, New Zealand should place greater emphasis on cooperation: Xi-Xinhua

June 20, 2025
Add A Comment
Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Top Posts

Iran rejects nuclear talks with US

June 21, 2025

House Republicans unveil aid bill for Israel, Ukraine ahead of weekend House vote

April 17, 2024

Prime Minister Johnson presses forward with Ukraine aid bill despite pressure from hardliners

April 17, 2024

Justin Verlander makes season debut against Nationals

April 17, 2024
Don't Miss

Trump says China’s Xi ‘hard to make a deal with’ amid trade dispute | Donald Trump News

By i2wtcJune 4, 20250

Growing strains in US-China relations over implementation of agreement to roll back tariffs and trade…

Donald Trump’s 50% steel and aluminium tariffs take effect | Business and Economy News

June 4, 2025

The Take: Why is Trump cracking down on Chinese students? | Education News

June 4, 2025

Chinese couple charged with smuggling toxic fungus into US | Science and Technology News

June 4, 2025

Subscribe to Updates

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news

Subscribe my Newsletter for New Posts & tips Let's stay updated!

About Us
About Us

Welcome to NabkaNews, your go-to source for the latest updates and insights on technology, business, and news from around the world, with a focus on the USA, Pakistan, and India.

At NabkaNews, we understand the importance of staying informed in today’s fast-paced world. Our mission is to provide you with accurate, relevant, and engaging content that keeps you up-to-date with the latest developments in technology, business trends, and news events.

Facebook X (Twitter) Pinterest YouTube WhatsApp
Our Picks

Iran rejects nuclear talks with US

June 21, 2025

COAS makes pitch for trade with US

June 21, 2025

India fails both militarily and diplomatically against Pakistan: Bilawal

June 21, 2025
Most Popular

Biden threatens tariffs on China and working class

April 21, 2024

People’s Bank of China withdraws hints about future bond deals, responds to calls for strong financial action

April 24, 2024

Germany deals with wave of spying threats from Russia and China

April 28, 2024
© 2025 nabkanews. Designed by nabkanews.
  • Home
  • About NabkaNews
  • Advertise with NabkaNews
  • DMCA Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contact us

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.