On June 5, the newly revised Taihu Lake Water Pollution Prevention Regulation was brought into effect.

The new regulation has made several big changes especially in raising the maximum penalty to CNY1 million for pollution. Before the regulation was revised, the penalty was generally CNY5,000-50,000, and the penalty for water pollutants discharge was CNY5,000-100,000, with maximum limit CNY200,000. The new regulation has adjusted the penalty limit, with the starting point being CNY10,000.

Enterprises that discharge water pollutants that exceed national and local standards can be fined up to CNY1 million. The upper limit of the penalty is increased by 10 times while the lower limit has doubled. Environmental protection departments of prefectural-level cities are authorized to carry out the penalty without reporting to superior departments.

This new regulation is an important guarantee to prevent waste water discharge. According to the regulation, companies that discharge pollutants into water, whether directly or indirectly, should have sewage facilities that suit the specific national and local standards.

Besides Suzhou, Wuxi and Changshu, the regulation is also applicable to all the rivers, lakes, reservoirs and channels that might affect the water quality of Taihu Lake.