Recently, with the consent of the State Council, the National Development and Reform Commission, together with the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Water Resources, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, issued the "Overall Plan for the Comprehensive Management of Water Environment in the Taihu Lake Basin" (hereinafter referred to as the "Overall Plan"). The "Overall Plan" thoroughly implements Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization and systematically puts forward ideas, goals, tasks and measures to promote the protection and governance of Taihu Lake in the new era, and is an action program for the management of Taihu Lake in the coming period.

    1. Practice the dialectic of protection and development complementing each other, and play a new movement of beautiful Taihu Lake

    General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that practice shows that ecological environmental protection and economic development are dialectically unified and complementary. Taihu Lake is the main water supply source of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai cities and the "barometer" of the ecological environment of the Yangtze River Delta, and is the flood distribution center and water resource allocation center in the basin. The Taihu Lake Basin is the core area of the central area of the Yangtze River Delta, accounting for 0.4% of the national land area and 10% of the land area of the Yangtze River Delta, carrying 4.8% of the country's population and 28% of the Yangtze River Delta, creating 9.8% of the country's GDP and 40.8% of the Yangtze River Delta. After 14 years of unremitting efforts, the economic growth of the Taihu Lake Basin has nearly quadrupled, the population has increased by nearly 20 million, and the trend of eutrophication of the lake has been effectively curbed, and the quality of the water environment of the river network has been significantly improved. However, we also see that the total discharge of pollutants in the current basin is still much higher than the environmental capacity, especially the total phosphorus load into the lake, which is the main factor of eutrophication in Taihu Lake, exceeds its environmental capacity by three times.

    In the new era, it is necessary to continue to thoroughly implement Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, implement the focus on protection and governance, coordinate the water environment, water ecology, water resources and water security in the basin, take source control and pollution reduction, ecological expansion, scientific allocation, and precise prevention and control as the main line, and strengthen source governance, systematic governance, and coordinated governance for key areas, key areas and key links, and be a good pacesetter for national lake governance in the new era. By 2025, pollutants entering rivers and lakes will be greatly reduced, lakeside wetlands will be gradually restored, the degree of eutrophication of lakes and the intensity of cyanobacterial blooms will be basically controlled, the quality of the water ecological environment will be significantly improved, the water resource allocation pattern will continue to be optimized, and the level of drinking water security will be further improved. By 2035, the dynamic balance between the pollution load and the environmental capacity of Taihu Lake will be basically realized, the water ecological environment in the basin will be fundamentally improved, and the production and lifestyle compatible with the carrying capacity of water resources and water environment will be formed as a whole, and the modernization of harmonious coexistence between man and nature will be realized, and the people's needs for a beautiful ecological environment will be basically met.

    2. Practice the overall concept of comprehensive water environment management and vigorously promote pollution prevention and control

    General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that to control water pollution and protect the water environment, it is necessary to comprehensively coordinate the left and right banks, upstream and downstream, onshore and water, surface and underground, rivers and oceans, water ecology and water resources, pollution prevention and ecological protection to achieve the best effect of systematic governance. To fight the battle of pollution prevention and control in depth, we must adhere to precise pollution control, scientific pollution control, and pollution control according to law, and maintain strength, extend the depth and broaden the breadth. At present, traditional industries such as printing and dyeing and chemical industry in the Taihu Lake Basin are large, and structural and regional pollution problems are still prominent. the efficiency of urban sewage collection is not high, and the problems such as leakage and misconnection of the pipe network are prominent; the coverage rate of rural domestic sewage treatment facilities in administrative villages is less than two-thirds, and less than 30% is in normal operation; Sediment is the main source of internal pollution in eutrophication of Taihu Lake, but the treatment and disposal of sludge faces bottlenecks.

    In the new era, it is necessary to focus on phosphorus reduction and nitrogen control, focus on the upper reaches of Taihu Lake in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and link the Taihu Lake body and the downstream areas to deepen pollution reduction, interception and pollution control, so that the people can really feel the improvement of the quality of the ecological environment. Strictly implement the permitted concentration and total amount requirements for total phosphorus emissions in industrial enterprises, promote the reduction and efficiency of pesticides and fertilizers, strengthen the prevention and control of pollution in livestock and poultry aquaculture, and promote the synergy of pollution reduction and carbon reduction. Make up for the shortcomings of environmental protection infrastructure, improve the urban sewage pipe network, strengthen the phosphorus removal and nitrogen removal process, strengthen rainwater and sewage diversion and initial rainwater control, and basically realize the full coverage, collection and treatment of urban and county sewage pipe networks; improve the treatment rate of rural domestic sewage and promote professional maintenance; Build a classification and treatment system for urban and rural domestic waste to eliminate large areas of black and odorous water bodies in rural areas. Promote endogenous governance in an orderly manner, scientifically carry out ecological dredging and consolidation pilots, implement a new round of ecological dredging projects in Taihu Lake, and take the lead in promoting the disposal and utilization of organic waste around Taihu Lake.

    3. Practice the concept of a community of life in mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes and grasses, and strengthen ecological protection and restoration in key areas

    General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that it is necessary to adhere to the system concept, start from the integrity of the ecosystem, promote the integrated protection and restoration of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grass and sand, and improve the quality and stability of the ecosystem. At present, Taihu Lake has degraded into an algae habitat, with frequent blooms, and in June 2020, the cyanobacterial bloom area reached 984 square kilometers, accounting for about 41% of the lake. The structure of the aquatic biological chain in Taihu Lake is incomplete, and fish and zooplankton tend to be simplified and miniaturized. The stand structure in some mountainous areas in the upstream is single, the wetland shoreline is encroached upon and the purification function is not strong, and the synergy of ecological governance needs to be improved.

    In the new era, it is necessary to strengthen the control of spatial use in river basins, strictly abide by the red line of ecological protection, strengthen the protection of cultivated land, enhance the coupling and correlation of various ecological elements in the management of mountains, rivers, forests, fields and wetlands, and jointly improve the ability of ecosystem restoration. Improve the layout of nature reserves, promote water ecological management in nature reserves, and restore wildlife habitats. Strengthen the construction and protection of water conservation forests in the lower mountains and hills of Yili and Tiaoxi in the upper reaches of Taihu Lake, and carry out the demonstration of ecologically clean small watersheds, the transformation of sloping farmland, and the ecological construction of rivers, lakes, reservoirs, ponds, and ditches in plain areas. Return the shoreline space of the water area according to local conditions, and renovate and restore the natural shoreline. Explore ecological transformation and build ecological green corridors for large water transmission channels connecting Taihu Lake and 22 major rivers into the lake, such as the Wangyu River and Taipu River. Strengthen the protection and restoration of important river and lake wetlands and lakeside buffer zones, and accelerate the reconstruction of the ecosystem balance of Taihu Lake. Implement the return of the polder to the lake and the return of ponds to wetlands in the northern part of Taihu Lake in Zhushanwei, Meiliang Lake and other cyanobacteria-prone areas; Artificial restoration of severely damaged West Taihu Lake should be carried out to strengthen habitat reconstruction; Natural restoration of East Taihu Lake, which has good ecology, is mainly used to create benign growth conditions such as submerged plants. Implement integrated restoration and remediation of the "one river and three lakes" cross-border water bodies of Taipu River, Dianshan Lake, Yuandang and Fenhu Lake in the Yangtze River Delta Ecological Green Integrated Development Demonstration Zone.

    Fourth, practice the idea of water conservation priority spatial balanced water management to ensure the safety of urban and rural water supply

    General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that it is necessary to coordinate development and security, adhere to the idea of water conservation first, spatial balance, systematic governance, and two-handed water management, based on the overall river basin and the balanced spatial allocation of water resources, scientifically promote engineering planning and construction, and improve the level of intensive conservation and utilization of water resources. Taihu Lake is a typical shallow saucer-shaped lake with slow water flow and small environmental capacity. There is a gap between the water consumption of 10,000 yuan of GDP in the basin and the international advanced level, and the supply of high-quality water resources is insufficient.

    In the new era, it is necessary to comprehensively strengthen the multi-source complementarity of water sources and the interconnection of water supply pipe networks in cities above the county level, continuously improve the dual-source water supply and in-depth treatment safe water supply system, and comprehensively improve the level of urban and rural drinking water security and emergency response capabilities. Strictly control the upper limit of water resource utilization, and strengthen the conservation and intensive use of water resources for life, production, and ecology in the basin. Build a basin water network system with Taihu Lake as the center and backbone rivers as the corridor, start the water transfer of the Xinmeng River as soon as possible, and improve the carrying capacity of water resources and water environment capacity of Taihu Lake.

    5. Practice the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains, and promote the high-quality development of the river basin economy

    General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that in the final analysis, ecological and environmental problems are problems of development mode and lifestyle. Establishing and improving a green, low-carbon and circular development economic system and promoting comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development are the basic policies to solve our country's ecological and environmental problems. Compared with the responsibility of the "great man of the country", the innovation capacity of the Taihu Lake Basin has not yet met the requirements of high-quality development, and is also facing challenges such as insufficient innovation power, new kinetic energy cultivation and lagging industrial green transformation.

    In the new era, it is necessary to rationally optimize the economic layout of the basin and promote the withdrawal of key pollutant discharge enterprises around important drinking water sources. Promote the accelerated development of strategic emerging industries, high-tech industries, and modern service industries, comprehensively expand the scientific and technological R&D and innovation belt along Taihu Lake, and plan and build Taihu Lake Science City and the "Two Lakes" Innovation Zone at a high level. Accelerate the green and intelligent transformation of the manufacturing industry, and promote the green transformation of traditional industries such as printing and dyeing. Practice the concept that green waters and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains, improve the value realization mechanism of ecological products, and promote the development of ecological industries such as green agriculture, cultural tourism and health care around Taihu Lake. Advocate a simple, moderate, green and low-carbon lifestyle, and encourage all people to strive to be practitioners and promoters of ecological civilization construction.

    6. Practice the idea of a game of chess for the whole basin and improve the ability of integrated modern governance

    General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that all regions should start from the whole, establish the idea of "a game of chess", and put their own development in the overall situation of coordinated development. It is necessary to improve the modernization level of the national governance system and governance capacity in the field of ecological environment, and improve the modern environmental governance system led by the party committee, led by the government, and participated by enterprises, social organizations and the public. In recent years, the provincial inter-ministerial joint conference system led by the National Development and Reform Commission has been established, our country's first comprehensive river basin regulation "Taihu Lake Basin Management Regulations" has been implemented, and the comprehensive management system of the Taihu Lake Basin has been further improved. However, the cross-provincial collaborative governance mechanism needs to be further broken through, and it is still difficult to coordinate with multiple goals such as the ecological environment of the river basin, flood control and water supply, and economic development.

    In the new era, it is necessary to increase the scientific and technological research and transformation of Taihu Lake governance, and develop and promote advanced and applicable technologies in the whole basin and even the whole country. Establish a water ecological evaluation and assessment mechanism and an ecological compensation mechanism in the Taihu Lake Basin, develop green finance, and promote the marketization of ecological environmental protection. Strengthen monitoring and supervision and law enforcement supervision, accelerate the establishment and improvement of the "three unifications" system of monitoring and law enforcement of ecological and environmental standards, and promote the joint protection and governance of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai in the Taihu Lake Basin with integrated ideas and measures. Improve the guarantee mechanism, stimulate the vitality of all parties, forge ahead on a new journey, and make contributions to the new era.