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The innovative environmental system known as the river chief system (RCS) was developed in China to limit water pollution by appointing provincial, prefectural, county, and township officials as "river chiefs" as guardians of every river under their control. Our research project developed a quasi-natural experiment to investigate if the RCS effectively reduces the intensity of industrial water pollution. A multi-period difference-in-difference (DID) method was employed in the experiment with a total of 3808 samples from 272 prefecture-level cities. The samples gathered represented the years from 2007 to 2020. Our results demonstrated that the southern region has far more industrial water contamination than other locations, and the intensity of industrial sewage discharge decreased by 10.25% in pilot cities following the implementation of the RCS compared with what we observed in non-pilot cities. Furthermore, according to the mechanism analysis we used, cities that increased investment in technical advancement and modernized industrial structures may also account for this decreasing trend. Additionally, the results of geographical heterogeneity demonstrate that the RCS's influence on curbing industrial water pollution is greater in cities with a higher intensity of environmental regulation and higher fiscal balance pressure than in locations with low environmental regulation and low fiscal balance pressure. In summary, the Chinese government needs to continue to strengthen the RCS's implementation; this can be done by adjusting to local circumstances as needed and by carrying out the policy accurately and effectively across the country. Our research sheds light on how to prevent water pollution in China and in other countries and supports the positive effects and effectiveness of RCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The provisions of industrial water pollution prevention and control have been well implemented since the newly revised Law of the People’s Republic of China on Prevention and Control of Water Pollution was issued on January 1, 2018. The national policies and facility construction related to industrial water pollution prevention and control have achieved significant progress. National departments and provinces have issued over 60 related policies and regulations. Outdated production facilities were eliminated to actively promote cleaner production, and over 1400 centralized sewage treatment facilities were constructed in industrial agglomeration areas. However, investigation and evaluation indicate that the progress in the implementation of some legal provisions and the control of industrial water pollution is slow. Moreover, the implementation of provisions between regions and industries is imbalanced, excessive discharge of pollution occurs, and the regulatory capacity to support new national/local emission standards is insufficient. We suggest that entire-process control should be conducted over industrial water pollution while focusing on cleaner production, and drainage indicators should be optimized to further promote environmental information disclosure.

Chinese government has set the Environmental Complaint Reporting System (ECRS) to monitor and manage industrial water pollution in a timely manner for years. Citizens can give feedback on water pollution incidents both online and offline, and report the human health risk. By combining methods of Pooled Least Squares, Instrumental Variable Estimation and Poisson Distribution to examine, the empirical results show that when control for the effects of instrumental variables such as the spread of information through mobile phones and internet, a higher pressure of improving the quality of environment would force and prompt the government to prevent industrial water pollution.

Industrial water pollution has become one of the largest threats to China's sustainable development and human welfare. Although China has implemented numerous policies in the past decades that have achieved remarkable success, there has been little analysis of the costs of mitigating industrial water pollutants. Understanding the heterogeneity and convergence patterns of abatement costs among Chinese provinces is crucial for cost-effective policies, such as a national trading system. We use a directional distance function model to estimate the abatement cost of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and NH4, and then conduct a convergence analysis of abatement cost to check the patterns of mitigation and convergence. We show that the mean industrial abatement cost across Chinese provinces is 610 Yuan/kg for COD and 4614 Yuan/kg for NH4. At the steady state, the abatement cost is about 786 Yuan/kg for COD and 2235 Yuan/kg for NH4. As theory suggests, a β-convergence pattern is observed for the abatement cost across Chinese provinces. In other words, it is theoretically feasible for China to build up an integrated national trading system for water pollution. We conclude that a pollutant-based trading system is needed and should be updated year by year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese government has set the Environmental Complaint Reporting System (ECRS) to monitor and manage industrial water pollution in a timely manner for years. Citizens can give feedback on water pollution incidents both online and offline, and report the human health risk. By combining methods of Pooled Least Squares, Instrumental Variable Estimation and Poisson Distribution to examine, the empirical results show that when control for the effects of instrumental variables such as the spread of information through mobile phones and internet, a higher pressure of improving the quality of environment would force and prompt the government to prevent industrial water pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As eco-compensation is considered an effective economic instrument for controlling the industrial water pollution in transboundary basin, this study aims to explore a transboundary eco-compensation mechanism for Songhua River Basin that is one of the seven major drainage basins in China. Using a panel dataset of eleven cities in this basin tracked from 1992 to 2016, we empirically examined the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis by analyzing the relationship between economic development and industrial water pollution. Then, we developed two econometric models to quantify the wastewater discharge allowance and eco-compensation of investigated cities, respectively. The results specifically reveal the inverted U-curve effects of GRP (gross regional product) on industrial wastewater discharge, which displays an evidence of EKC in the field of transboundary water pollution in China. Moreover, our results verify the polluter pays principle that polluter should be responsible for its pollution behavior through paying of eco-compensation. Our results further interpret that the emissions trading program can help protect the ecosystem by allowing the wastewater discharge allowance to trading market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Industrialization and urbanization, as a result of rapid economic development, have led to the deterioration of water quality in many rivers in developing countries. The Kelani River in Sri Lanka provides drinking water to Colombo and a range of market and non-market ecosystem services; but these services are threatened by deteriorating water quality. We apply a hydro-economic model that accounts for spatial patterns of water quality and abatement cost variability between firms in the catchment. The hydro-economic model combines a hydrological model of water quality with an economic optimization model to determine a cost-effective policy under alternate policy regimes. These include: the existing policy based on effluent concentration standards, effluent trading and effluent trading with multiple zones and an effluent tax. Tradeable permits with multiple zones are the least cost policy option that accounts for both spatial externalities and abatement costs. However, given current institutional capabilities, an effluent tax would be a more realistic second best policy as a transition from the current policy of effluent concentration standards to a policy based on the quantity of effluents. Highlights • Hydro-economic model accounts for spatial and cost heterogeneity of polluters. • Cost-effective effluent control instruments in Kelani catchment were simulated. • The multiple zone effluent trading was found to be the least cost policy option. • Effluent taxes were a feasible cost-effective policy. • River pollution control in developing country context was examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The negative health effects of water pollution remain a major source of morbidity and mortality in China. The Chinese government is making great efforts to strengthen water environment treatment; however, no studies have evaluated the effects of water treatment on human health by water pollution in China. This study evaluated the association between water pollution and health outcomes, and determined the extent to which environmental regulations on water pollution may lead to health benefits. Data were extracted from the 2011 and 2013 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Random effects model and random effects Logit model were applied to study the relationship between health and water pollution, while a Mediator model was used to estimate the effects of environmental water treatment on health outcomes by the intensity of water pollution. Unsurprisingly, water pollution was negatively associated with health outcomes, and the common pollutants in industrial wastewater had differential impacts on health outcomes. The effects were stronger for low-income respondents. Water environment treatment led to improved health outcomes among Chinese people. Reduced water pollution mediated the associations between water environment treatment and health outcomes. The results of this study offer compelling evidence to support treatment of water pollution in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study quantified and evaluated the presence of water pollution and its impact on the health of the adjacent human community. Water sampling and household surveying was carried out using a GIS approach using primary data. The quantification of health impact was based on the scientific tools of environment, economic theory, econometrics, and statistics. The focus of our study was the impact of lead (Pb) contamination of drinking water from industrial effluents on population health and utility in Dingi village, adjacent to an industrial estate in Haripur Pakistan. Results of the study showed varying Pb contamination beyond the safe limits set by WHO. Marginal willingness to pay based on probabilities of sickness, medical costs, and avertive costs was estimated at ﹩53 per household yearly. The opportunity cost of leisure (﹩22) and avertive measures (﹩54) were also estimated to fi nd the total economic cost born by households (﹩300). Total annual welfare loss of the Dingi community exposed to Pb contamination and its cost accounted for 4.26 million PKR (﹩42,000). This welfare quantification extrapolated to other villages can contribute to heavy monetary loss. Policymakers should pay special attention to such polluted areas to adopt mitigation measures to save public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relation between economic growth and two key water quality indicators is assessed for South Korea’s four principal rivers. The growth of the national economy accompanied a shift in environmental and industrial policy that fostered improved water quality. The relations between biochemical oxygen demand and GDP in the Geum and Nakdong Rivers and between chemical oxygen demand and GDP in the Yeongsan and Nakdong Rivers support the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis. In general, the turning point for improved water quality occurred at later economic development stages for industrial pollution than for biological pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study presents an expert system (ES) for assisting departments of environmental management in their efforts to improve water quality in a city. The ES was built based on the premise that municipal water quality is related not only to the environmental conditions of a city, but also to its economic and social systems. The system called WPC-ES can analyze relationships between industrial water pollution and economic activities of industrial enterprises of a city. The system includes a decision model at its core, which integrates another four closely related subsystems. As an application, use of the system by the environmental protection agency of a city in the Yellow River Basin of China is presented. The results showed that the system could provide better decision support for environmental management. Some lessons drawn from development of the system are useful for other development efforts of ES for enhancement of water quality in developing countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Industrialization and urbanization, as a result of rapid economic development, have led to the deterioration of water quality in many rivers in developing countries. The Kelani River in Sri Lanka provides drinking water to Colombo and a range of market and non-market ecosystem services; but these services are threatened by deteriorating water quality. We apply a hydro-economic model that accounts for spatial patterns of water quality and abatement cost variability between firms in the catchment. The hydro-economic model combines a hydrological model of water quality with an economic optimization model to determine a cost-effective policy under alternate policy regimes. These include: the existing policy based on effluent concentration standards, effluent trading and effluent trading with multiple zones and an effluent tax. Tradeable permits with multiple zones are the least cost policy option that accounts for both spatial externalities and abatement costs. However, given current institutional capabilities, an effluent tax would be a more realistic second best policy as a transition from the current policy of effluent concentration standards to a policy based on the quantity of effluents., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)