The layout of the Dongting Lake Water System is seen during the China International Lake Management and Technology and Equipment Exhibition in Wuhan city, central Chinas Hubei province, 1 November 2009. Chinese senior officials on Monday (2 November 2009) called for enhanced measures to curb lake pollution and facilitate lake rehabilitation at the 13th World Lake Conference that opened Monday in Wuhan, known as the city of a hundred lakes. Chen Zhili, vice chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress, Chinas top legislature, called for greater legislative powers to stop lake water pollution and to prevent lakes from disappearing. She called for the establishment of special lake protection laws and regulations and implementation of strict judicial and administrative means in the management and supervision of industrial, agricultural and household waste, especially that of highly-contaminating facilities such as paper mills and chemical plants. China has more than 24, 800 natural lakes. However, an average of 20 lakes disappeared every year, and about 88.6 percent of the lakes are in eutrophic state, she said.
