(ECNS) – The environmental watchdog of East China's Jiangsu province announced Thursday that the province will build new marine reserves as well as expand existing ones, with the aim of protecting 2,000 square kilometers of water in the Yangtze River estuary, an increase from the current 1,200 square kilometers.
According to China's State Oceanic Administration, in 2014 some of the coastal waters of the oceans under China's jurisdiction suffered severe pollution, and the Yangtze River estuary was included on the list.
When cities along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River began developing ocean economies, areas of water with quality grades of I and II fell to 40 to 50 percent. The situation was not reversed until 2013, and the ratio rose to 63.4 percent last year, says Zhang Haijian, a researcher with Jiangsu's Ocean and Fisheries Administration.
The Jiangsu provincial government has released a guideline to step up prevention and treatment of coastal water pollution, setting goals for water quality above grade III to be higher than 55 percent at the Yangtze River estuary, and coastal waters at grades I and II to reach 70 percent.
Liu Zong, an official with Jiangsu's environmental protection department, says "salvaging the ocean" needs concerted efforts. The province will step up controls on land pollution sources as well as key industries, and remove all illegal drain outlets to the sea by 2017, Liu says.
