Laws of the People's Republic of China

    The 19th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Eighth National People's
Congress has decided to revise the Law of the People's Republic of China on
the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution as follows:

    1. The second paragraph of Article 7 is amended as: "The people's
governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under
the Central Government may establish its local standards for the discharge of
water pollutants for items not specified in the national standards; with
regard to items already specified in the national standards, it may set local
standards which are more stringent than the national standards. The local
standards for the discharge of water pollutants must be reported to the
environmental protection department of the State Council for the record."

    2. Add a new article as Article 10: "The prevention and control of water
pollution shall be planned in a unified way on the basis of river basins or
regions. Water pollution prevention and control plans for major river basins
designated by the state shall be drawn up by the environmental protection
department of the State Council in consultation with the competent planning
department, the water conservancy administration department and other
competent departments under the State Council, and the people's governments of
involved provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities under the Central
Government, and shall be reported to the State Council for approval.

    "Water pollution prevention and control plans for other river basins
involving two or more provinces or counties shall, in accordance with the
plans for major river basins designated by the state and with the local
practical situations, be drawn up by the environmental protection department
in consultation with the water conservancy administration department and other
competent departments of the people's government at or above the provincial
level, and the local people's governments involved, and shall be reported to
the State Council or the people's government at the provincial level for
approval. Plans for other river basins involving two or more counties but not
involving different provinces shall be reported by the people's government of
the province to the State Council for the record.

    "The approved plans shall serve as the bases for the prevention and
control of water pollution. Any amendment to an approved plan must be approved
by the original approving department.

    "Local people's governments at or above the county level shall, in
accordance with the water pollution prevention and control plans for river
basins already approved according to law, organize to formulate plans for the
prevention and control of water pollution within their respective
administrative areas, and shall incorporate such plans into the medium- and
long-term plans and annual plans for the national economy and social
development of their respective administrative areas."

    3. The third paragraph of Article 13 is amended as: "Facilities for the
prevention and control of water pollution at a construction project must be
designed, built and commissioned together with the principal part of the
project. Such facilities must be inspected by the environmental protection
department; if they do not conform to the specified requirements, the said
project shall not be permitted to be put into operation or to use."

    Add a new paragraph as the fourth paragraph: "The environmental impact
statement shall include views of units and residents where the construction
project is to be located."

    4. The second paragraph of Article 14 is amended as: "The pollutant
discharging units mentioned in the preceding paragraph shall report in time if
any substantial change occurs in the categories, quantities or concentrations
of the water pollutants discharged. Their water pollutant treatment facilities
must be kept in normal use. When such facilities are to be dismantled or left
idle, prior approval must be obtained from the environmental protection
department of the local people's government at or above the county level."

    5. Delete the reading "and shall assume responsibility to eliminate and
control the pollution" in Article 15. Add two new paragraphs thereto as the
second and the third paragraphs respectively, which read: "The income derived
from the discharge fee and the fee for excess discharge must be used for the
prevention and control of pollution and shall not be appropriated for other
purposes.

    "Enterprises and institutions discharging pollutants in excess of the
prescribed standards must work out a programme to eliminate and control the
pollution, and report such programme to the environmental protection
department of the local people's government at or above the county level for
the record."

    6. Add a new article as Article 16: "Where the water pollutant discharge
standards have been reached but cannot ensure the attainment of the water
environment quality standards for water bodies, the people's governments at or
above the provincial level may establish a system for controlling the total
quantity of major pollutants discharged, and practise a system for determining
the quantity of such major pollutants discharged among enterprises which are
responsible for reducing the quantity of pollutants discharged. The State
Council shall formulate specified measures therefor."

    7. Add a new article as Article 17: "The environmental protection
department of the State Council may, in consultation with the water
conservancy administration department under the State Council and the relevant
people's government at the provincial level, and in accordance with uses and
functions of water bodies of major river basins designated by the state and
with local economic and technological conditions, set the water environmental
quality standards applicable to provincial boundary water bodies of such major
river basins, and report to the State Council and implement them after
approval."

    8. Add a new article as Article 18: "The working organs for water resource
protection of major river basins designated by the state shall be responsible
for monitoring the state of environmental quality of provincial boundary water
bodies within their respective river basin areas, and report the monitoring
results in time to the environmental protection department and the water
conservancy administration department of the State Council; if a leading organ
for water resource protection of the river basin has been established with the
approval of the State Council, the monitoring results shall in time be
reported thereto."

    9. Article 10 is changed into Article 19 and amended as: "Urban sewage
shall be disposed of in a centralized way.

    "Competent departments under the State Council and local people's
governments at various levels must incorporate into their plans of municipal
construction the protection of urban water sources and the prevention and
control of urban water pollution, construct and perfect municipal drainage
systems, and construct urban sewage treatment facilities in a planned way, in
order to strengthen the comprehensive improvement of urban water environment.

    "Urban sewage treatment facilities shall, according to the state
provisions, be used to provide paid service of sewage treatment for pollutant
dischargers, and the fee for sewage treatment shall be collected to ensure the
normal operation of sewage treatment facilities. Where sewage is discharged
into urban sewage treatment facilities and the fee for sewage treatment has
been paid therefor, the discharge fee shall not be levied. The income derived
from the fee for sewage treatment so collected must be used for the
construction and operation of urban sewage treatment facilities and may not be
appropriated for other purposes.

    "The State Council shall formulate specific measures for the collection of
the sewage treatment fee, and for the management and utilization of urban
sewage treatment facilities."

    10. Add a new article as Article 20: "People's governments at or above the
provincial level may delineate protected zones for surface sources of domestic
and drinking water according to law. Such protected zones include the first
and other classes protected zones. Specific water and land areas in the
vicinity of intakes at a surface source for domestic and drinking water may be
delineated as a first class protected zone, and those water and land areas
outside the first class protected zone be delineated as other class protected
zone. Various classes protected zones shall have their definite geographical
boundaries.

    "The discharge of waste water into water bodies at the first class
protected zones for surface sources of domestic and drinking water shall be
prohibited.

    "Tours, swims and other activities which might cause pollution to domestic
and drinking water bodies within the first class protected zones shall be
prohibited.

    "Any new construction project or expansion unrelated to water supply
facilities and to the protection of water sources within the first class
protected zones for surface sources of domestic and drinking water shall be
prohibited.

    "People's governments at or above the county level shall, according to
their limits of authorities specified by the State Council, order to dismantle
or improve within a prescribed time period those sewage outfalls already set
up within the first class protected zones for surface sources of domestic and
drinking water.

    "The protection of domestic and drinking groundwater sources shall be
strengthened.

    "The State Council shall formulate specific measures for the protection of
domestic and drinking water sources."

    Delete the phrase "domestic and drinking water sources" in Article 12.

    11. Add a new article as Article 22: "Enterprises shall adopt clean
production techniques which are efficient in the use of raw materials and
discharge small quantity of pollutants, and shall strengthen the management to
reduce the water pollutants generated.

    "The state establishes a system for eliminating those backward production
techniques and equipment, which cause severe pollution to water environment.

    "The competent comprehensive administrative department of economy under
the State Council shall, in consultation with departments concerned under the
State Council, announce a catalogue of techniques which cause severe pollution
to water environment and of which the adoption is to be prohibited upon the
expiration of a prescribed time period, as well as a catalogue of equipment
which causes severe pollution to water environment and of which the
production, sale, importation and use are to be prohibited upon the expiration
of a prescribed time period.

    "Producers, marketers, importers or users must, within the time limit
specified by the competent comprehensive administrative department of economy
in consultation with departments concerned under the State Council, stop
respectively the production, sale, importation or use of equipment listed in
the catalogue mentioned in the preceding paragraph. Adopters of production
techniques must, within the time limit specified by the competent
comprehensive administrative department of economy in consultation with
departments concerned under the State Council, stop the adoption of techniques
listed in the catalogue mentioned in the preceding paragraph.

    "Equipment already eliminated according to the provisions in two preceding
paragraphs may not be transferred to others for use."

    12. Add a new article as Article 23: "The state prohibits the
establishment of any new small-size enterprise engaging in chemical paper pulp
making, printing and dyeing, dyestuff, hide processing, electroplating, oil
refining or agricultural chemical without measures for the prevention and
control of water pollution, and other enterprises which may cause severe
pollution to water environment."

    13. Add a new article as Article 26: "Water pollution disputes involving
different administrative areas shall be settled through negotiation between or
among local people's governments involved therein, or through co-ordination by
their common higher people's government."

    14. Article 20 is changed into Article 28 and a new paragraph added as the
second paragraph: "In the case of any pollution accident caused to fisheries,
the fisheries administrative and superintendency agencies shall be responsible
for its investigation and disposal."

    15. Add a new article as Article 39: "The agricultural administration
department and other relevant departments of a local people's government at or
above the county level shall take measures to instruct agricultural producers
to apply chemical fertilizers and pesticides in a scientific and rational
manner, and control the excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides,
so as to prevent water pollution therefrom."

    16. Add a new article as Article 47: "If, in violation of the provisions
of the third paragraph of Article 13 in this Law, a construction project is
put into operation or to use when its facilities for the prevention and
control of water pollution have not completed or fail to meet the state
specified requirements, the environmental protection department that approved
the environmental impact statement of the said project shall order the
violator to stop the operation or use of the project and may concurrently
impose a fine."

    Delete Item (2) in Article 37.

    17. Add a new article as Article 48: "If a pollutant discharging unit, in
violation of the provisions of the second paragraph of Article 14 in this Law,
intentionally does not keep its water pollutant treatment facilities in normal
use, or dismantles or leaves idle such facilities without approval of the
environmental protection department, thereby discharging pollutants in excess
of prescribed standards, the environmental protection department of a local
people's government at or above the county level shall order it to restore
such facilities to the normal use, or set a time limit for it to reinstall and
reuse such facilities, and concurrently impose a fine."

    18. Add a new article as Article 49: "If anyone, in violation of the
provisions of the fourth paragraph of Article 20 in this Law, establishes
within the first class protected zones for surface source of domestic and
drinking water any new construction or expansion project unrelated to water
supply facilities and to the protection of water sources, the people's
government at or above the county level shall, according to its limit of
authorities specified by the State Council, order the violator to suspend
operations or close down."

    19. Add a new article as Article 50: "If anyone, in violation of the
provisions of Article 22 in this Law, produces, sells, imports or uses
equipment, or adopts techniques, which have already been prohibited, the
competent comprehensive administrative department of economy of the people's
government at or above the county level shall order the violator to make
correction; if the circumstances are serious, the said department shall
propose and report to the people's government at the corresponding level for
an order of suspension of operations or shutdown issued within its limit of
authorities specified by the State Council."

    20. Add a new article as Article 51: "If anyone, in violation of the
provisions of Article 23 in this Law, establishes any small-size enterprise
without measures for the prevention and control of water pollution, thereby
causing severe pollution to water environment, the local people's government
at the city or county level or the higher people's government shall order to
shut down such enterprise."

    21. Article 39 is changed into Article 53 and amended as: "A pollutant
discharging unit which violates this Law, thereby causing a water pollution
accident, shall be fined according to the consequent damage and loss by the
competent environmental protection department of the local people's government
at or above the county level in the place where the accident takes place.

    "In the case of a pollution accident caused to fisheries or caused by
vessels, the competent fisheries administration and superintendency agency or
the navigation office of the competent transportation department in the place
where the accident takes place shall impose a fine respectively according to
the consequent damage and loss.

    "If the circumstances are serious in a water pollution accident, the
persons responsible shall be subject to disciplinary sanction by the unit to
which they belong or by a higher competent authority."

    22. Add a new article as Article 58: "Personnel conducting supervision and
management of environmental protection or other relevant state personnel who
abuses his power, neglects his duty or engages in malpractices for personal
gains shall be given disciplinary sanction by the unit to which he belongs or
the competent higher authorities: if his act constitutes a crime, he shall be
investigated for criminal responsibility according to law."

    23. Add a new article as Article 59: "With regard to individual businesses
that discharge pollutants into water bodies and cause severe pollution,
standing committees of the people's congresses of the provinces, autonomous
regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government shall
formulate measures therefor in accordance with the principles in the
provisions of this Law."

    This Decision comes into force on the date of the promulgation.