BEIJING: Chinese lawmakers Saturday voted to adopt a Yangtze River conservation law as the country steps up efforts to protect its “mother river.”
The law, passed at a Standing Committee session of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the top legislature, will take effect on March 1, 2021.
With 96 provisions in nine chapters, it is China’s first legislation on a specific river basin.
The law is formulated to “strengthen the protection and restoration of the ecological environment in the Yangtze River basin, facilitate the effective and rational use of resources, safeguard ecological security, ensure harmony between human and nature, and achieve the sustainable development of the Chinese nation,” according to its first provision.
In the economic and social development in the Yangtze River basin, efforts shall be made to “promote well-coordinated environmental conservation and avoid excessive development,” while ecology shall be prioritized, according to the law.
Stretching over 6,300 km, the Yangtze boasts rich biodiversity and mineral and water resources in its basin. But long-time overfishing and pollution have threatened its aquatic life and depleted fish stocks.
A report on the legislation unveiled in December 2019 explained the urgent need for protection. Drought is not uncommon at some of the lakes. Some of the regions along the river are rife with desertified lands and soil pollution, while more polluting industries are moving upstream.
The grim situation has aroused growing public concern. In the first and second annual sessions of the 13th NPC, 214 lawmakers submitted motions concerning protection legislation on the basin. –PNP
