Call for Yangzte Delta green zone standards to be aligned

The integrated ecological governance of the Yangtze River Delta Ecology and Greenery Integration Demonstration Zone has achieved some progress, but some standards are yet to be aligned, according to a report presented in the city's legislature.

The report was the result of a law enforcement inspection after the legislatures of Shanghai and two neighboring provinces made a legal decision last year to ensure further construction of the zone, which encompasses Shanghai's suburban Qingpu District; Wujiang District of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province; and Jiashan County in Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province.

With the protection of lakes and rivers that border the three areas a priority, a common pollution control mechanism and assessment system has been established. The lakes and rivers are the Dianshan Lake, Yuandang Lake, Fenhu Lake and the Taipu River.

Meanwhile, ecological watchdogs from the three administrations have started to introduce common standards in the measurements of emissions of stationary sources of pollution, ambient air quality and volatile organic compounds (VOC).

The legislature report said the two districts and the county are still implementing their own ecological governance standards and development plans and are yet to align their environmental access criteria for industries and standards in the emission of pollutants.

The zone also needs to draw more ecological economic projects to the lake area, the report said.

The work report presented to the legislature by the executive committee of the demonstration zone calls for the legislatures of the two districts and the county to align regulations on drinking water sources to enable coordination at the administrative level.