Beijing to work with neighbors to improve water quality

BEIJING - Beijing, Tianjin municipality and Hebei province will work together to address water pollution through the construction of a unified water monitoring network by the end of 2017.

The three jurisdictions in northern China will improve their water monitoring systems, warning mechanism, information sharing and emergency response to prevent water pollution, according to a plan the Beijing municipal government released this week.

Beijing, the coastal city of Tianjin and the surrounding province of Hebei are working toward integrating their industries, transportation networks and measures to curb pollution so that they can achieve balanced, coordinated development in the region.

To ensure water quality, Beijing will work with Zhangjiakou and Chengde, two cities in Hebei, to protect water sources and restore the natural environment along the major river courses and clean up pollution in rivers and reservoirs.

The plan also orders the heightened monitoring, testing and evaluating of water quality at sources, treatment plants and taps to ensure water quality from beginning to end. It also requires that information on drinking water be made public this year and vows more detailed disclosure by 2018.

To control groundwater pollution, the capital will close 76 landfills and 1,143 wells, trace pollution in underground water and begin restoring polluted underground water in 2019.