Comprehensive Evaluation on China's Law on Water Pollution Prevention and Control

Abstract

The newly revised Law of the People’s Republic of China on Prevention and Control of Water Pollution is crucial for pollution prevention and control in China. In this paper, we first review the achievements of the law in eight aspects since its implementation on January 1, 2018. Subsequently, we analyze the issues in implementing the law from four perspectives: (1) water environment management system and mechanism, (2) supervision over water pollution law enforcement, (3) drinking water source protection and groundwater pollution prevention, and (4) water pollution prevention and control. Accordingly, four countermeasures are proposed from the aspects of management system, law enforcement capabilities, water source protection, and pollution prevention. Specifically, efforts should be put into coordinated watershed management, river chief system perfection, and water quality improvement, thus to promote the up-to-standard discharge of industrial wastewater, pollutant interception and treatment of municipal pipe networks, recycling of municipal activated sludge, low-carbon and economical treatment of rural sewage, and rural non-point source pollution prevention.

Keywords

• water pollution prevention and control
• river chief system
• environmental management
• environmental standards
• water source protection