The River Chief System

Figure 1: The Dianchi Lake in Kunming, southwest China

Source: The BRICS Post, 2016

The water quality in the Dianchi Lake has been improved following the construction of a series of pollution control works, including construction of sewage treatment facilities and wetlands along the lake side. This year a total of 88 water environment treatment projects for Dianchi Lake will be started (The BRICS Post, 2016)

While China suffers from a shortage of water, what little water it does have is highly polluted and unsuitable for consumption. A great deal of Chinas ground and surface-waters have been polluted as industrial waste and agricultural byproducts as well as municipal waste find there way into rivers and lakes. It is estimated that 40% of China’s surface water is fit only for industrial and agricultural use and only half of the country’s major cities meet the standard for drinking water (Gleick, 2013).

The authorities in the Chinese capital Beijing, which is currently under a red alert smog warning, are now trying to tackle this issue of water pollution. A draft anti-water pollution piece of legislation was published in the Chinese press on Monday (Xinhua, 2016). It comes as an amendment of the Water Pollution Prevention Law.

It stipulates that local governments will be responsible to improve water quality and be empowered with the means to boost tougher anti-pollution laws. Local officials will be known as ‘river chiefs’ and they will manage all the rivers and lakes in their regions making sure they are protected (Global Times, 2016). Their responsibilities involve ecological restoration, control and prevention of pollution and protection of the water resource. They will be held accountable if environmental damage occurs in water bodies they've been assigned to, according to the guideline.

Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, told the Global Times that the river chief mechanism would better remind heads of local governments of their duties, urging them to coordinate the different departments for water protection. Ma noted that some local government heads used to place economic development above environmental protection.

"The effectiveness of the river chief mechanism depends on the accountability system and on whether the river chiefs would respond to public concerns in a timely manner," said Ma.

The guideline also stressed public involvement, saying river chiefs' names and responsibilities will be published for the public to read. The draft also focuses on means to protect city supplies of drinking water. It calls for local governments to draw up contingency plans to secure back-up water sources, particularly for regions where there is just one single source of water.

The Chinese government has for several years’ prioritised efforts to restrict chemical pollution of the air and water. The ministry of environmental protection issued a document listing 58 chemicals that will now require more restrictive registration, assessment and supervision. The report says that some banned toxicants are still being produced in China and that in some areas where drinking water is polluted, cancer rates have risen.

The river chief mechanism is expected to be implemented across the country by the end of 2018. It has been piloted in eight provinces and municipalities, including Beijing, Tianjin and East China's Zhejiang Province. This more intimate system of monitoring, prevention and protection should help improve water quality. For some time local governments and officials have been prioritising economic growth over environmental protection and these new laws are a step in the right direction.