China's 2006 Communique on Marine Environment Quality issued

The State Administration of Oceans recently issued its 2006 Communique on Marine Environment Quality, according to which marine pollution is still very heavy. Last year, China failed to meet the clean water quality standard of 149,000 square meters, an increase of about 10,000 square kilometers from 2005. The area of mildly polluted sea increased sharply. Approximately 55 percent, or 110,000 square kilometers of inshore waters did not meet quality standards. Approximately 25 percent of inshore waters are moderately or seriously polluted.

The Bohai Sea remains seriously polluted, and failed to meet the required proportion of sub-standard water, between 26 and 41 percent.

Comprehensive monitoring of China's 609 land-based sea outfalls indicates that 81.4 percent of the outfalls exceeded the discharge limit. Outfalls within sea-farming regions exceeded the discharge limit by 80.3 percent. In tourist areas and protected marine zones, the limit was exceeded by 91.2 and 87.5 percent.

Severe marine disasters befell China in 2006. A total of 179 ocean disasters, almost the same number as in 2005, led to a direct economic loss of 21.845 billion yuan, approximately 11.4 billion yuan less than in 2005. The death toll (including people still missing) was 492, an increase of 121 from the previous year.

Storms, including inshore typhoons and waves, were the major marine disasters of 2006, leading to a direct economic loss of 21.711 billion yuan and killing 327 people (including the number of people still missing). Disastrous waves have caused a direct economic lost of 134 million yuan and killed 165 people.

The Communique found that China's sea level will rise between 9 and 31 millimeters in the next 3 to ten years. The sea level currently rises at a rate of 2.5 millimeters a year, higher than the global average of 1.8 millimeters a year. The East China Sea is rising faster than the national average, while the Yellow Sea is rising at the average rate. The South China and Bohai Seas are rising slightly more slowly than the average. (Note: statistics included in the Communique do not include Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Regions or Taiwan Province)

By People's Daily Online