Source: China Daily
June 4, 2011 - China admitted that it is facing serious challenges in environmental protection, including pollution from toxic metals aggravating the public and a severely unsafe underground water supply.
"We have entered a period when sudden incidents impacting the environment or pollution accidents are occurring frequently and when environmental pollution is daily causing social contradictions," Li Ganjie, vice-minister of environmental protection, said in a press conference in Beijing on Friday.
During the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015), the country will give priority to environment issues involving drinking water, air pollution, heavy metal pollution and soil pollution, Li said.
Unsafe underground water, frequent lead poisoning incidents and escalating damage to environmental protection zones are all testing the country's fragile environment.
According to the country's latest environmental assessment report in 2010, more than half of China's cities are affected by acid rain. About 40 percent of major rivers are so polluted that the water can only be used for industrial purposes or landscaping. About 16 percent of the total is unfit for agricultural irrigation.
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