Toxic algae destructive to plant and fish life - and threatening to humans - is spreading in two of China's largest lakes. This is but the latest of China's recent spate of pollution scares, with the Taihu and Chaohu lakes showing the encroachment of algae in recent satellite photos.
According to the Workers Daily newspaper the toxic algae has triggered governmental panic, and forced nearby residents to shut off contaminated tap water. Scientists believe the algae originated in Lake Taihu and spread to Chaohu Lake, where 40 square kilometers (15 square miles) of its surface is already covered by greenish slime. Local government offices are monitoring water quality on an hourly basis, and Zhang Bangguo, chief engineer of Anhui province's Environmental Protection Agency, has described the situation as "grave."
Last Tuesday the algae scare in Lake Taihu triggered a demand for action from Premier Wen Jiabao, who was quoted in the media as describing it as a pollution "wake-up call." - Yahoo NewsGovernment figures indicate that in excess of a staggering 70 percent of China's waterways and 90 percent of its underground water is ravaged by pollution. Authorities have just this month ordered towns around Taihu to close all polluting factories and meet new and stricter water emission standards by June 2008.
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