Evaluation on the Implementation of Industrial Water Pollution Control in China

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 Outdated production facilities were eliminated to actively promote cleaner production, and over 1400 centralized sewage treatment facilities were constructed in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.