The Yangtze River Protection Law was implemented today, and the water quality of the Yangtze River has been better than the national assessment target for two consecutive years.

2025年10月22日 | admin | A1
China’s first river basin protection law, the Yangtze River Protection Law, came into effect on March 1st. Experts and scholars believe that Wuhan, which is developed by the river and prospered by the river, will shoulder the responsibility of protecting the Yangtze River and become an important city and support point for the implementation of the Yangtze River Protection Law.
Recently, the Yangtze River Basin Ecological Environment Supervision Administration of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment held a symposium on the implementation of the Yangtze River Protection Law. Experts and scholars interpreted the law. The Yangtze River Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources, the Yangtze River Shipping Public Security Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, and the Yangtze River Navigation Administration of the Ministry of Transport introduced the implementation measures and discussed how to jointly protect the Yangtze River.
The maximum penalty for illegally encroaching on the coastline of the Yangtze River is 5 million yuan.
"The Law on the Protection of the Yangtze River provides a legal guarantee for the mother river of the Yangtze River to maintain its vitality forever and for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation." Yang Heqing, deputy director of the Economic Law Office of the Law Commission of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC), said that the Yangtze River, with a total length of more than 6,300 kilometers and involving 19 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, is an important strategic water source and golden waterway in China, which has nurtured the Chinese nation and nourished Chinese civilization for thousands of years.
The water quality of the Yangtze River has been seriously polluted for some time. "Implementing the Law on the Protection of the Yangtze River and protecting one river and clear water is a historical responsibility that our generation must shoulder to future generations and the future of the nation."
The Law on the Protection of the Yangtze River has a unique position in China’s current legal system. It is not only the first river basin law in China, but also based on a deep understanding of the characteristics of river basin legislation and the characteristics of the Yangtze River basin. It is led by the state and participated in research and formulation across administrative regions and functional departments. "Not only is there no precedent in China, but it is also different from relevant foreign legislation. Legislation is difficult and the results are hard-won."
Yang Heqing introduced that the Law on the Protection of the Yangtze River supplements and refines the relevant provisions on the basis of existing relevant laws, aiming at key issues such as the prohibition of fishing, shoreline protection and illegal sand mining in the Yangtze River, and greatly increases the amount of fines, ways of punishment and intensity of punishment.
For example, the Yangtze River Protection Law imposes a maximum fine of 5 million yuan on illegal acts such as building and expanding chemical parks and chemical projects within one kilometer of the coastline of the Yangtze River. "Further strengthen law enforcement, so that those who dare to challenge legal authority and dare to destroy the ecological environment of the Yangtze River will pay a heavy price."
On the other hand, the government’s supervision responsibility is strengthened, and the relevant government departments are not effective in supervising and investigating illegal acts. It also stipulates strict administrative responsibilities from warning, recording records and even taking the blame and resigning, and establishes a strict ecological environment supervision mechanism in the Yangtze River Basin from the inside out.
The development of the Yangtze River basin entered the 3.0 era.
Ke Jian, a professor at the Institute of Environmental Law of Wuhan University, participated in the preparation of the law. At the meeting, he called the promulgation and implementation of the Law on the Protection of the Yangtze River as the development of the Yangtze River basin entered the 3.0 era.
"Earlier, we emphasized the Yangtze River’s development model of" taking water resources as the center and water environment as the carrier ". At that time, the scale of economic development and population were relatively small, which had little impact on the natural resources and ecological environment of the Yangtze River. "
With the rapid development of social economy, especially after the reform and opening up, the economic volume has increased rapidly, and the ecological damage and pollution problems in the Yangtze River basin have become prominent. At this time, the government was keenly aware of this problem, and put forward the concept of "don’t engage in large-scale development, and jointly protect it", and entered the 2.0 era of Yangtze River basin development.
He believes that the Yangtze River Protection Law has opened a new journey of high-quality development in the Yangtze River Basin. The basic framework of the Law on the Protection of the Yangtze River is "3+1", and "3" represents three areas of ecological environmental protection in the Yangtze River basin: rational development and utilization of water resources, prevention and control of environmental pollution, and ecological protection and restoration.
"Finally, there is a’ 1′, which is essential and emphasizes green development." He explained that while emphasizing protection priority, we should also pay close attention to green and high-quality development, which brings greater challenges to the work of the ecological environment management institutions in the Yangtze River Basin.
Yang Heqing pointed out that the Law on the Protection of the Yangtze River not only clearly put forward the basic principles of economic development in the basin of "ecological priority and green development" in the general provisions, but also set up a special chapter to clarify how the Yangtze River basin can develop green.
The Law on the Protection of the Yangtze River plays an important role in leading and promoting the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. The implementation of the Law on the Protection of the Yangtze River is to embark on a road of ecological priority and green development, and to build the Yangtze River Economic Belt into a golden economic belt and a green development demonstration belt with more beautiful ecology, smoother traffic, more coordinated economy, more unified market and more scientific mechanism.
Great protection of the Yangtze River is both a tough battle and a protracted war.
Wuhan has always adhered to ecological priority and green development, and promoted the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. The implementation of the Yangtze River Protection Law has opened a new chapter in Wuhan’s strategy of protecting the Yangtze River.
Xu Wei, director of the Yangtze River Basin Ecological Environment Supervision Administration of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, introduced that this symposium has set up a cooperation platform for various departments and units, and promoted the establishment and improvement of joint prevention and control, consultation and information sharing mechanisms for cross-departmental and cross-regional ecological environmental protection. "Everyone can give full play to their respective expertise, strengthen unified and coordinated supervision, and gradually build and improve the overall pattern of joint management of river basins."
It is understood that the Yangtze River Water Conservancy Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources, the Yangtze River Shipping Public Security Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, the Yangtze River Basin Ecological Environment Supervision Administration of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and the Yangtze River Navigation Administration of the Ministry of Transport are all established in Wuhan. At the same time, many lawyers from Wuhan participated in the research and drafting of the Law on the Protection of the Yangtze River, and experts, scholars and representatives of industry associations attended the forum and actively offered suggestions for legislation.
"Wuhan will shoulder the responsibility of protecting the Yangtze River and become an important city and support point for the implementation of the Yangtze River Protection Law." At the meeting site, experts, scholars and heads of various units said one after another.
In recent years, based on the characteristics of "great rivers and great lakes", Wuhan has done a solid job in the "three articles" on ecological restoration, environmental protection and green development, earnestly laid a good job in the "Ten iconic battles for the great protection of the Yangtze River" and practiced the concept of green development.
Among them, the task of treating 65 black and odorous water bodies in the built-up area was completed, the normal management was improved, and the water quality and bank slope environment continued to improve, reaching the goal of "clearing water, turning banks green and making scenery beautiful"; Clean up and rectify the port shoreline resources along the Yangtze River and Hanjiang River, upgrade and optimize the legal wharves along the four banks of the Yangtze River, integrate, assemble and relocate 103 wharves, restore the natural coastline for more than 30 kilometers, implement afforestation along the two banks of the Yangtze River, and afforest 21,400 mu on the four banks of the Yangtze River, exposing the most beautiful waterfront in Wuhan.
"The ecological environment of the Yangtze River has continued to improve. In the past 20 years, the water quality of the Yangtze River has reached the best, and it has remained in Class II for two consecutive years, which is better than the national Class III assessment target. The ecology of the Yangtze River is improving and the finless porpoise is reappearing. " The person in charge said that the quality of Wuhan’s ecological environment has been further improved, and the ecosystem has been effectively protected, forming a coordinated development pattern of economy, society and ecological environment.
"The great protection of the Yangtze River is both a tough battle and a protracted war. With the escort of legal weapons, the mother river will be full of vitality forever, and the Yangtze River Economic Belt will be more full of green. " At present, Wuhan is integrating the concept of "ecological priority and green development" into urban construction and starting a new journey of high-quality development.
(Changjiang Daily reporter Dai Hongbing Lei Wei correspondent Li Xinxin Hu Xizhen Yu Haitao)
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