By Li Zuojun & Yu Min, Research Institute of Resources and Environment Policies, DRC

Research Report, No. 96, 2020 (Total 5840) 2020-5-7

Abstract: It had been a conundrum to treat the water of Dianchi Lake in Kunming city of Yunan province as the water quality had remained at inferior Class-V before 2015. Since General Secretary Xi Jinping made instructions on the environmental treatment of Dianchi Lake in his visit to Kunming city in 2015, the municipal government has made continuous efforts in water treatment of the lake and successfully upgraded the water quality from inferior Class -V to Class IV. Over the past five years, Kunming city has adopted a scientific, systematic, intensive and law-based approach in water treatment, established a unified and concentrated network for resource coordination, launched a “dual-goal accountability system” to hold related parties to fulfill their responsibilities, implemented a “three-year action plan”, and formed a strict assessment and accountability mechanism, all of which have helped form an effective Dianchi Lake treatment model. To accelerate China’s water basin treatment, the government needs to put the treatment of rivers and lakes on top agenda of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025). Kunming is encouraged to continue improving the Dianchi Lake treatment model and the river (lake) chef mechanism, explore the forms of practicing ecological compensation, and enhance the synergy between different systems for basin treatment, in a bid to provide prime experience for other regions to refer to.

Keywords: rivers and lakes, environmental treatment of Dianchi Lake, experience, policy options