BEIJING, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- China's environmental chief says increased efforts must be made to address pollution in the Haihe River in the north of the country.
Minister of Environmental Protection Zhou Shengxian has ordered "unremitting" efforts to relieve the "pain of the Haihe," China's state-run news agency Xinhua reported Saturday.
He said government departments need to strictly follow various industrial policies on environmental protection, particularly concerning construction projects creating high water costs and pollutant discharge, and projects located along rivers or on the upriver area of drinking-water sources.
To protect drinking water and control pollution, Zhou also spoke of adopting more "ecological methods" in sewage treatment and the rehabilitation of lakes and rivers.
Beijing and other developed regions should be pioneers in upgrading sewage treatment technology and transforming sewage into resources, Zhou said.
