'Lake chiefs' expected to be in place by end of year

The top official of each provincial region will head up a "lake chief" system to coordinate the protection and management of lakes and their tributaries, according to a guideline published by the central government on Thursday.

These leaders will be responsible for clarifying the responsibilities for chiefs in a four-level system and coordinating different authorities to solve major problems in the protection of water bodies, the guideline said.

The lake chief system is expected to cover all lakes in the country by the end of this year.