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Lake merits first ever public hearing
By Qin Chuan (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-04-14 05:39
A project to cover a lake bed in plastic yesterday became the subject of the
State Environmental Protection Administration's first ever public hearing on
environmental impact.
The lake in Yuanmingyuan Park in northwestern Beijing, was being lined with
impermeable membrane to try and stop water leaking away.
But the plan, which had already swung into action, was slammed by some
environmentalists who said sealing the lake bed could have a disastrous effect
on local ecology.
At the end of March, the State Environmental Protection Administration ruled
the project was illegal because it had not undertaken an environmental impact
assessment, as required by law.
The project was stopped in early April, but sources with the Yuanmingyuan
Administration Bureau said work to line the lake bed was almost finished.
A total of 120 people, ranging from an 11-year-old primary school student to
experts in their 80s, attended the hearing, at which dozens expressed opinions
for and against the project.
Apart from environmental concerns, some participants argued the project was
undertaken for purely business purposes.
The park bureau's plan shows boating on the lake is to be expanded, and new
docks are being built.
But bureau officials and some other experts say the project is the only
option to ease the park's extreme thirst.
In addition to the lake bed project, other activities carried out in the park
also aroused public criticism.
Yu Kongjian, with the Peking University, showed pictures of trees and bushes
in the park cut down by workers.
Speaking at the hearing, Xue Ye, executive director of Beijing-based
non-government organization (NGO) Friend of Nature, called for a united
management mechanism to be set up including officials, experts, and residents
and NGOs.
(China Daily 04/14/2005 page1)
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