Zhejiang embraces green development

Residents of Jiande, Zhejiang province, wash vegetables with water from local rivers and reservoirs, the quality of which improved greatly after the local government closed water-polluting factories. Provided to China Daily

Many local governments have increased their efforts against water pollution after a national action plan was issued on April 16. Zhejiang province stands as an example of the effectiveness of such efforts. Zheng Jinran reports in Hangzhou.

Pujiang county in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, was famous for its crystal glassware, which during its prime accounted for 85 percent of the nationwide output and brought huge wealth to the residents. But this industry also brought severe water pollution.

"The rivers looked like milk and were not drinkable," said Zhu Yuewen, a 74-year-old who has lived all of his life in the southern county.

More than 22,000 small processing mills used water to wash away dust in the polishing process. Wastewater containing the white particles of dust flowed into the rivers and turned them white.

The rivers, which residents used as a source of drinking water and for household chores, became polluted when the mills first appeared in 1982, Zhu said. Residents found the deteriorating water quality, noise from the mills and the dust in the air unbearable.

When the county government surveyed river pollution in 2013, it found 462 "milky" rivers, 577 others filled with garbage and 25 with highly polluted and foul-smelling black water. Pujiang county was ranked lowest in terms of environmental quality among the 90 counties of the province.

Last year, however, all of the pollution disappeared, and the rivers became clean again. The major river - Hujiang River - and the major lake - Cuihu Lake - are now good for swimming, attracting more than 6,000 residents a day in the summer, according to the county government.

"The improvement came from strict comprehensive efforts to reduce water pollutants, especially the efficient measures to shut down the polluting crystal mills," said Shi Zhenqiang, the county's Party chief.

Most of the mills closed down were cottage industries that did not have the facilities to deal with their industrial waste and simply discharged wastewater into the nearest river, he said.

It was not easy to shut down these mills, because many people's livelihoods depended on them. The county government tried twice before, in 2006 and 2011, but had to back down in the face of opposition from the mill owners. It compromised to maintain a stable social order, Shi said.

"But this time, the deteriorating environment pushed us to control the pollution for the sake of public health and sustainable economic growth," he said.

In 2013, the county government's various departments took joint action to phase out the polluting mills in accordance with laws and regulations.

The environmental protection department located mills discharging untreated wastewater during the night. The land resources authority later removed illegal buildings, while the commerce administration fined companies without business licenses.

Those combined efforts reduced the 22,000 mills to just 1,376 by last year. The remaining factories will move to industrial zones in the fall, where their wastewater will be processed centrally.

Zhu said his son used to polish crystal products in their house but will move his business to the new industrial zones.

Other polluting companies in the papermaking, printing and dyeing, and chemical industries have been regulated as well, with 55 percent of factories being shut down, the county government said.

"GDP gains at the price of destroying the environment is not welcome in our county," Shi said. "We would rather not pursue such economic growth."

Despite the large scale of such restrictions on polluting industries, Pujiang did not see a decline in its economy, but faster growth instead. Urban residents' per capita income has seen a year-on-year increase of 9.4 percent, exceeding 23,100 yuan ($3,720) last year, because of an optimized industrial structure, the county government said.

E-commerce was one reason for the booming economy in the county. The number of parcels delivered across the border reached 10 million last year, making Pujiang one of the top two counties for e-commerce in the province.

The remarkable achievements in reducing water pollution from industry in the county have made it an example for others in the province to follow, said Xu Zhen, head of Zhejiang province's Environmental Protection Department.

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