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This is NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing. Here is the news.
The health of China's rivers is due for a thorough examination, as an action plan for pollution control goes on stream.
A State Council plan on water pollution has been released recently, in a bid to reduce pollutants and protect resources through new, strictly quantifiable targets.
Over 70 percent of the water in the basins of China's top seven major rivers should be "in good condition" by 2020. The targeted rivers include the Yangtze River and the Yellow River.
Over the last few decades, industrialization, urbanization and rapid population growth have taken their toll on China's already rare freshwater resources. Half of China's major rivers and around 40 percent of important lakes are polluted.
The Haihe River in the heart of Tianjin, a neighboring city of Beijing, is among the worst. According to a 2013 report by the city, 70 percent of water in the Tianjin section is categorized as "bad". The river suffers from a severe water shortage.
The problem is nationwide. The main streams of rivers are often given more attention than tributaries and lakes. The authorities are urging local governments to attach just as much importance to tributaries in order to meet the new targets.
