Decision of the State Council on Issues concerning Environmental Protection

Decision of the State Council on Issues concerning Environmental Protection

Guo Fa [1996] No. 31

August 3, 1996

With a view to further carrying out the basic state policy of environmental protection, implementing the strategy of sustainable development, executing the Ninth Five Year Plan of the People's Republic of China on National Economy and Social Development and Outlines of Objectives in Perspective of the Year 2010, and realizing the environmental protection objectives of bringing the worsening tendency of environmental pollution and ecological deterioration under control and improving to certain extent environmental quality of some cities and regions by the year 2000, the following decision is hereby made:

I. Specifying Objectives and Adopting Procedures through Which Administrative Officials shall be Held Responsible for Environmental Quality
Discharge of pollutants should be subject to control of maximum quantity. A national and systemic maximum quantity index of major pollutants and a practice of regular publication thereof should be adopted in real earnest.
By the year 2000, industrial pollution sources all over the country shall meet national or local standards on discharge of pollutants; different provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government should control maximum discharge of major pollutants under their respective jurisdiction within the maximum discharge quantity index laid down by the state. The worsening tendency of environmental pollution and ecological disruption could be generally brought under control. Municipalities directly under the central government, capital cities of provinces, cities within special economic zones, coastal open cities, and key tourist cities should all keep environmental air and environmental quality of surface water up to the corresponding national standards in terms of their functional categories. The Huaihe River and the Taihu Lake should have waters cleared. The Haihe River, the Liaohe River, the Dianchi Lake and the Chaohu Lake should have the quality of surface water markedly improved.
Local People's governments at different levels should adopt a policy of administrative officials being held responsible for environmental quality under their jurisdiction. They should, according to the above mentioned objectives, set local objectives and measures for control over discharge quantity of major pollutants and for improvement of environmental quality, and should submit them to people's governments at higher levels for the record.
Local People's governments at different levels and leading officials thereof shall perform their duties of environmental protection according to law, and shall resolutely enforce environmental protection laws, regulations and policies. Environmental quality within jurisdiction should be an important item for evaluation of principal leading officials of government.
People's governments at different levels should include environmental protection on their working agendas as an important item, regularly deliberate and solve in time issues concerning environmental protection and make such conducts compulsory practices.

II. Stressing on Key Points and Solving Regional Environmental Problems in Real Earnest
Local People's governments at different levels should resolutely enforce the law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution, effectively strengthen the prevention and control of water pollution so as to ensure safety in industrial and agricultural production and People's daily use of water. Drinking water sources, which closely concerns People's livelihood, shall be well protected as key points. Drinking water sources protective zones shall be delimited and placed under rigorous supervision. The prevention and control of water pollution in valleys shall be strengthened. The system of maximum quantity control and the verification procedure for control over discharge of major pollutants shall be applied, according to law, where attempts to control discharged water pollutants within prescribed standards still fail to meet national prescribed standards for water environment quality. Water pollution in rivers of Huaihe, Haihe, Liaohe, and lakes of Taihu, Chaohu and Dianchi shall be controlled as key points. The prevention and control on water pollution in other rivers, lakes, reservoirs and coastal waters shall also be strengthened.
Local People's governments at different levels shall, according to the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Air Pollution, do proper work to prevent and control air pollution, put stress on air pollution by fuel coal, and bring under control the worsening of pollution by sulphur dioxide and acid rain. The State Administration for Environmental Protection shall, as soon as possible and in consultation with relevant departments, put forward opinions on delimitation of acid rain control zones and sulphur dioxide pollution control zones and propose required objectives for their control, then submit them to the State Council for approval before their enforcement.
People's governments of cities shall strengthen comprehensive control over city environment, put emphasis on control of waste water, waste gas, waste residue and noise pollution. During the Ninth Five Year Plan period, cities with a municipal government, particularly cities with more than 500,000 non agricultural population, shall, through a variety of channels, raise and collect funds for the construction of sewage disposal facilities suited to city conditions so that water environmental pollution in cities could be alleviated in real earnest.
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