Illegal buildings to be removed from Yunnan mountain area after inspection

Authorities in Kunming, capital of Southwest China's Yunnan province, have pledged to remove all illegal buildings found in a protected area by environmental inspectors by the end of September.

All buildings in the Grade-I protected area in Changyao Mountain on the south bank of Dianchi Lake, one of Kunming's best known scenic spots, will be demolished by that time unless they are built to help conserve the largest freshwater lake in Yunnan, said Liu Jiachen, mayor of Kunming, in a news conference on Tuesday. 

He also said the mountain will be fully afforested by that time as well.

As demolition work continues, a total of 248,000 plants have been planted in the mountain since the violation was unveiled in early May, he added.

According to a local regulation for Dianchi protection, three grades of protected area have been set up to protect the body of water, based on their distances from its boundary markers.

For example, the highest level of protected area, Grade-I, covers all places 100 meters away from the markers. The construction of new buildings, or expansion of existing ones, is prohibited.