Dianshan Lake transformation

THE 57.9-kilometer coastline of Dianshan Lake is expected to be fully connected to enable marathon events and biking fun.

Lu Xiaofeng, vice director of the water authority of Qingpu District where part of the lake is located, said yesterday the effort was part of the ecological integration of the Yangtze River Delta region.

Dianshan Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in Shanghai, and half its coastline is in Qingpu District, with the rest in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province.

“There are 20 unconnected spots on our side of the lake at the moment, with a 4.6kilometer part at Shanghai Oriental Land,” Lu said.

Lu said the water quality will also be improved.

“No sewage water from the rural area around the lake on our side is now discharged into the lake without safe processing, and we’re striving for high standards of sewage water processing which will be achieved in three years.”

This area will follow “the most strict” standards of discharge of pollutants into the water and set up uniform standards for flood prevention and water resource protection to meet international standards.

Lu said the goal is to stabilize the water quality of the lake to Grade III and IV. In China, Grade III water is qualified to use for drinking water, for fish protection and swimming, while Grade IV water can be used for recreation facilities with no direct contact with the human body, or for general industries.

“Currently the water quality has reached Grade III and IV, but is not perfectly stable, because sometimes we have an excessive amount of ammonia nitrogen in the lake,” Lu said. Ammonia nitrogen can cause the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water to drop and affect quality.

There are already some watersports centers at the lake.

Qingpu District, Suzhou’s Wujiang District in Jiangsu Province and Jiaxing’s Jiashan County in Zhejiang Province have been designated the Yangtze River Delta Ecology and Greenery Integration Demonstration Zone.

The zone covers 2,300 square kilometers, about one and half times the size of London, and plans to attract innovative, service and trade industries.