Water action plan vital to the country's future

The strongest ever action plan on water pollution control and conservation that the State Council released on Wednesday will hopefully kill two, or even three, birds with one stone if it can be carried out to the letter.

To fulfill the goal of basically improving the water quality of major waterways by 2020 and realizing overall upgrading of water quality control and conservation by 2030, the plan has detailed specifications about what local governments and specific industries have to do. It has also specified strict rules to assess a specific department or sector's performance.

It is more than urgent and necessary to treat polluted rivers and lakes, and rehabilitate polluted water sources since they are aggravating the country's already severe shortage of water. Effective water pollution control and conservation are of vital importance to the sustainability of China's economic development.