SEPA: Environmental situation has worsened

Several major rivers and lakes are clogged with industrial waste as China's environmental situation continues to deteriorate, AP reported, citing state media. "Pollution worsened in many parts of the country in the first quarter of the year according to nationwide monitoring results," said Pan Yue, deputy director of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA). He explained that, although spring sandstorms have helped clear the air by blowing away pollutants, the nation's waterways are in trouble. Conditions at the Mohe River, which lies north of the Yangtze River and serves tens of million of people, have "worsened a great deal," as they have at the Haihe River near Beijing and Tianjin. There are also problems with Taihu Lake and Chaohu Lake in east China and Dianchi Lake in Yunnan province in China's southwest. Pan said that drinking water quality in cities monitored by SEPA fell five percentage points to 69.3% during the first quarter compared to last year.