Bumpy road ahead for action plan to clean environment

The government issued an action plan last week to fight water pollution. Comprising more than 200 measures, the plan aims to tackle almost all water pollution problems, details the accountability system, and sets its deadline and objective.

China's per capita water availability is only one-fourth of the world average. More than two-thirds of China's population lives in areas that seriously lack water. The over-exploitation of groundwater has caused land subsidence in some urban areas. And most of the country's rivers and lakes are polluted.

If the action plan is well implemented, the overall water quality in China is likely to improve in 20 years. A similar plan to check air pollution was released in 2013, and the first survey on soil pollution was completed last year. The Ministry of Environmental Protection released an action plan last month to fight soil pollution, which is likely to be approved by the central authorities after some revisions.