Tianjing Pavilion at Erhai Lake. (Photo by He Dengping/For China Daily)
Campaign sees hotels, guesthouses, restaurants shuttered
As the Lunar New Year travel rush swept across the country, throngs of tourists headed to the ancient city of Dali in Yunnan province to enjoy stunning views of Erhai Lake and other scenic areas.
Those among them who had visited Dali years ago discovered that the waters of the ear-shaped lake have now become much clearer, and more waterfowl could be seen.
However, they also found it harder to book rooms with views of the lake as many guesthouses, hotels and restaurants have been closed as part of Dali's campaign to curb pollution and improve the environment of Erhai, known as "mother lake" by locals.
Zheng Cheng, who traveled from Chengdu, capital of neighboring Sichuan province, said he was making his third holiday trip to Dali.
"Compared with my first visit in 2013, Erhai Lake looks cleaner and clearer now even though tourists continue to visit," Zheng said, adding that local environmental protection efforts made at the lake appear to have paid off.
Erhai Lake, which is 1,972 meters above sea level, is one of the largest highland lakes in Yunnan, covering 256 square kilometers. It stretches about 42 kilometers from north to south and is 9 km at its widest stretch. The lake provides a major source of water to 620,000 residents in Dali.
In March 2017, the local government issued a protective management order, the Seven Major Actions, to protect the lakeside environment. Initiatives included demolishing illegal constructions around the lake, and efforts to reduce water pollution.
The campaign was launched as the lake's water quality had worsened in recent years. Three large outbreaks of toxic blue-green algae occurred in the lake in 1996, 2003 and 2013. The number of pollutants in the lake in 2016 had increased by 50 percent compared with 2004, according to the local environmental protection authority.
Li Aichun, a taxi driver who lives in a village near the lake, said he used to swim in it with his brothers in childhood, when the waters were so clear that fish and weeds on the bottom could be seen from the surface, and the water could be drunk. However, the situation today had changed due to increasing pollution, the 43-year-old said.
The reduction in water quality alarmed both the central and local governments. In January 2015, during an inspection tour of Yunnan, President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visited a village near the lake and called on residents and the local government to protect it, emphasizing that this is a long-term task.
During his tour, Xi had a photo taken with local officials beside the lake and said he hoped that the water quality could be improved when he made his next trip.
Xi's instructions on environmental protection of the lake came after nationwide efforts were stepped up in 2012 to build an "ecological civilization" to ensure that by 2035 there would be a fundamental improvement in the quality of the environment, and the goal of building a Beautiful China would be basically attained.
Zhang Yong, who was vice-governor of Dali City in charge of environmental protection in 2015, said, "General Secretary Xi told us that Yunnan should take the lead in building an ecological civilization."
Xi's comments that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" as well as "ensuring harmony between humans and nature" have become a guiding principle for the environmental management of Erhai Lake, Zhang said.
Environmental experts said pollution of the lake can be partly attributed to a change in the ecology of the organisms in the water, but mostly stems from excessive exploitation by the tourism and real estate industries.
Wang Shengrui, a member of the Erhai Lake Protection Expert Committee and professor at Beijing Normal University's College of Water Sciences, was quoted by Global Times as saying the abundance of sunlight and relatively high temperatures mean that the lake is especially susceptible to toxic blue-green algae blooms.
Known as the Pearl of the Plateau for its beautiful scenery that can be viewed all year, Erhai Lake is a must-see attraction for tourists of all ages and backgrounds.
