Jiangxi pledges to halt environmental degeneration and to protect resources
Hong Kong's drinking water will be protected at its source after Jiangxi province passed a regulation to protect forest and water resources, according to Xinhua.
The province said it would force its counties in the valleys of the Dongjiang, or East River, to stop any environmental degeneration within two years. It warned that if nothing was done to control soil erosion along the upper reaches of the river, both water quality and quantity downstream would be affected, according to Xinhua.
Wang Biao, vice-chairman of the Committee on Environment and Resources of the Jiangxi Provincial People's Congress, said that despite the local government's poor finances, it would not dodge its responsibility to protect the ecosystem on the upper reaches of the Dongjiang. He said about four million tonnes of soil were washed away every year because of deforestation, although local governments had taken steps to improve the situation, including the planting of trees and grass.
The river rises in Xunwu county, Jiangxi, and runs through Guangdong, joining the sea at the Pearl River estuary. It has an annual flow of 28 billion cubic metres.
None of the money Hong Kong pays for its drinking water goes to Jiangxi. Last year, Hong Kong, which draws its water from the river at Dongguan, paid Guangdong about $2.4 billion for 743 million cubic metres of water.
The Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Sarah Liao Sau-tung, warned last year of water shortages in 10 years if nothing was done to curb pollution of the Dongjiang.