Environmental protection

Aén was fortified plus brings back to consciousness on the protection of the environment and progresses accelerated in the same were registered. At the end of 2000, China had 128.000 workers in the system of environmental protection, 2.204 stations of environmental supervision of diverse levels and 40.000 workers dedicated to the supervision. The protection of the nature has achieved new successes. In all the country the organizations of experimentation of pilot ecological zones arrived at 213, the natural reserves increased to 1.227, including 155 of national category; the total surface of the natural reserves added 98,21 million hectares, for a 9,9 percent of the national territory. The environmental legislation it made new progresses, intensified the application of the pertinent laws. By the end of the year 438 landlords of diverse nature for environmental protection had been elaborated. The application of the system of evaluation of the influence on the environment in relation to the established projects of construction in 2000 reached a rate of the 91,5 percent. Between the projects of construction put in operation the same year, the 98 percent has facilities dedicated to the prevention and the treatment of the contamination. In 2000 38.101 projects of treatment of the environmental contamination were completed in the determined terms, with a total investment of 20.800 million of yuanes. In 537 cities 2.718 dust and control zones had settled down of smoke, with a surface of 18.000 kilometers square. In 476 cities 2.288 free zones of the noise had settled down superior to the standards, with a surface of 13.000 kilometers square.

The worsening of the environmental contamination had been controlled in initial form. The total volume of the emission of the main polluting agents was reduced constantly. In 2000, the emission of the 12 main polluting agents descended in 10-15 percent in relation to 1995. By the end of October of 2000, more of the 90 percent of the 238.000 polluting industrial companies they fulfilled basically the emission standards. Between the 46 cities with priorities of environmental protection, the quality of the superficial water of 33 cities and the quality were reached the propose goals after of the atmospheric atmosphere of 22 cities. Among them 18 cities fulfilled the standards of the quality of the air and the superficial water with respect to the regional functions, whereas other cities are on the verge of arriving at the standards.

It was continued unfolding the work of the high-priority projects of environmental protection. Between the 5.188 companies located in the river basins of the Haihe rivers, Liaohe and Haihe and of the Lagos Taihu, Dianchi and Chaohu, the 95 percent fulfilled the standards of emission of polluting agents. 55 plants for the black water treatment were built and 111 is in construction, for the 67 percent of the total in perspective. Initial results in the control of the air pollution in the control zones of acid rain and sulfur dioxide were obtained. Between the 175 cities of these zones, 102 arrived at standard II of the densidad of sulfur dioxide. Until aims November of 2000, 3.944 of the 4.678 main polluting companies of these zones fulfilled the standards of sulfur dioxide emission, number that represents the 84,3 percent.