Environmental News Service
August 16, 1999

SEPA deputy director Zhu Guangyao says the government views its most important environmental task as water pollution control, with a focus on drinking water security.

Beijing: China is about to change “from emphasizing economic growth but ignoring environmental protection to emphasizing both environmental protection and economic growth,” the government said today in a policy paper covering the next five years. Released by the Information Office of the State Council, China’s central government, the paper says that government is “fully aware” that the situation of environmental protection in the country is “grave.” At a press conference releasing the paper in Beijing today, Zhu Guangyao, deputy director of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), said the increased emphasis on environmental protection will affect the approval process for large construction projects. There will be stricter assessment of the environmental impacts of projects and and projects will be canceled if they either overdevelop land resources or may affect the surrounding environment negatively, he said. Zhu said the government views its most important environmental task as water pollution control, with a focus on drinking water security.