Nearly 8.3 billion tons of sewage, much of it untreated, poured
into the coastal waters off south China's Guangdong Province last
year, 60 percent more than five years ago, according to a report
released by the Guangdong Provincial Oceanic and Fishery
Administration.
Part of the sewage had undergone treatment, but "a considerable
amount" of it was untreated, said Lu Chaohua, a research fellow
with the Guangdong Oceanic and Fishery Environment Monitoring
Center.
The sewage was estimated to contain 1.26 million tons of
chemicals, including heavy metals like lead, copper and cadmium,
the report said.
"The excessive sewage in some coastal areas has led to a rapid
deterioration of the ecological environment," Lu said.
"Fish stocks in the coastal areas of Guangdong are experiencing
a degradation in terms of quality and variety, and pollution is to
blame," he added.
Pollution in the inshore areas of Guangdong is severe, the
report warned and pollution at the mouth of the Pearl River and
around the coastal cities of Shantou and Zhanjiang is "extremely
severe".
"Local governments around China have paid great attention to the
treatment of pollution in rivers, but they have ignored oceanic
pollution," said Li Zhujiang, director of the administration.
"Government investment in the protection of the marine
environment is very poor, accounting for less than one tenth of the
funds directed towards treatment of river pollution," Li said.
Li also called on the environmental protection agency of
Guangdong to introduce stricter standards regarding the discharge
of sewage into the sea, particularly by industrial enterprises.
Guangdong is still using the same standard as it did a decade
ago.
Coastal pollution is not just affecting Guangdong. About 25
percent of China's coastal areas are moderately or heavily
polluted, according to a report on China's oceanic environment
released in January.
The report revealed that 55 percent of the water in the
country's 110,000 square kilometers of coastal areas failed to be
classified as "clean".
Nearly 31.7 billion tons of polluted water flowed into the
country's offshore waters in 2005, accounting for 60 percent of the
total waste water produced in the country, according to the State
Environmental Protection Administration.
As a member of the Global Program of Action for the Protection
of the Marine Environment from Land-Based activities, China is
currently drafting a National Program of Action to protect its
marine environment from land-based activities. Details are yet to
be released.
(Xinhua News Agency May 17, 2007)
