The State Council officially issued the Decision of the State Council on Implementing the Outlook on Scientific Development and Enhancing Environmental Protection on December 3, 2005. The followings are the fourth component of the Decision: “Address Pre-eminent Environmental Issues in a Practical Way”：

 Strengthen the prevention and control of water pollution focusing on the security of drinking water and pollution control of key river basins. With scientifically identifying and adjusting the protected areas for drinking water sources, we will practically enhance the protection on drinking water sources. We will take measures to establish reserve water sources in cities and address the safety issue of rural drinking water. We will firmly eliminate the direct pollution release exits within water source protected areas and strictly prevent water pollution from breeding industry. We will also prevent any toxic and hazardous substances from entering the protected areas of drinking water source and strengthen the prevention of any water pollution accidents and emergency response to such accidents in order to ensure the safety of drinking water. In addition, we will take such water systems as the Huaihe River, Haihe River, Liaohe River, Songhuajiang River, Three Gorges Reservoir and its upper reaches, Xiaolangdi Reservoir and its upper reaches of the Yellow River, water source of the South-North Water Diversion Project and nearby waters along the project line, Taihu Lake, Dianchi Lake and Chaohu Lake as the focuses for the control of water pollution of river basins. We will also take the key sea waters including Bohai Sea and estuaries as the focus of marine environmental protection work. The direct release of industrial effluent exceeding standards into rivers, lakes and seas is strictly prohibited.

 Focus on enhancing the prevention and control of pollution and step up urban environmental protection. We will strengthen the construction of urban infrastructure so that urban sewage treatment rate across China will be no less than 70% and environment-friendly disposal rate of urban garbage will be no less than 60% in the year 2010. We will also take strong measures to address particulate matter pollution, noise and the pollution from catering industry. We will encourage the development of energy-saving and environment-friendly automobiles. Soil risk evaluation will be carried out to the original site where a polluting enterprise used to locate and take necessary remedy measures. Urban development should pay attention to natural and ecological conditions. We should try our best to keep or maintain natural heritages such as natural forests, grassland, waters, beaches, wet lands, natural topography, wildlife so as to maintain urban ecological balance.

 Focus on the reduction of total SO2 emission and promote the prevention and control of air pollution. We will accelerate our work on dressing of raw coals and lower sulphur concentration of commercial coals and strengthen the treatment of SO2 of coal-fired power plants. All newly built and expanded coal-fired power plants must simultaneously construct desulphurization facilities or take other steps to reduce the discharge of SO2 except coal mine mouth power plants that burn super-low sulphur coal. In middle-to-large cities or its immediate suburbs establishment (expansion) of coal-fired power plants must be brought under strict control except co-generation power plants and the establishment (or expansion) of enterprises with heavy consumption of energy such as iron & steel and smeltery is prohibited. Those coal-fired power plants discharging more SO2 than prescribed, which had been put into operation by the end of 2004, shall install desulphurization facilities by the end of 2010. Desulphurization goals for different areas are to be set according to local environmental status, so do plans to control acid rain and SO2. Power plants operating for over 20 years or with an installed capacity below 100 MW shall be transformed or shut down within a set time limit. Planning is to be made to control NOx discharged from coal-fired power plants and pilot projects are to be identified. More efforts are needed to control soot and dust. Energy-saving measures are needed to enhance energy efficiency. Increasing the proportion of clean energy and reducing the discharge of air pollutants by developing new energy such as wind power, solar power, geothermal and biomass, as well as development of nuclear and hydro power.

 Focus on control of soil pollution to step up environmental protection in rural areas. Action plan on environmental protection for well-off rural communities is to be implemented combining the drive to build new socialist countryside. A national investigation on soil pollution will be carried out and comprehensive control of land exceeding pollution standard exercised. Adjustment will be made to farmland that is heavily polluted and hard to rehabilitate according to law. Pesticide and fertilizer should be used rationally to prevent pollution from films. Developing water-saving agriculture and ecological agriculture and boosting the control of pollution caused by large scale breeding. Efforts should be furthered to improve the access to drinking water and reconstruct toilets in rural areas. Reuse of crop residues should be stressed and active measures taken to develop methane in rural area. Issues on the messy and dirty environment of rural area should be addressed by proper disposal of domestic refuse and treatment of sewage and waging the campaign of building environment-beautiful towns and eco villages. The development of county economy should feature special industries that leverage off local resources and cater to local environmental capacity. Pollution shifting from urban to rural area must be prevented.

 Focus on reinforcing ecological conservation by promoting harmony between man and nature. Equal importance should be laid on protection and treatment of ecology by taking control of irrational development of resources. Priorities should be given to protection of natural vegetation. Upholding the principle of seeking development in line with local conditions and paying attention to natural rehabilitation. Efforts will continue in such ecological treatment engineering as protection of natural forests, rehabilitation of natural grassland and vegetation, converting farmland to forests, controlling grazing for rangeland restoration, restoring lakes by stopping cultivation, combating desertification, conservation of water and soil and preventing karst from becoming rocky desert. Land degredation and sanded grassland should be put under strict control. Socio-economic development should go hand in hand with water resource conditions. Water consumption in households, production sectors and for eco conservation should be coordinated to build a water-saving society. Developing disaster evasion economy that meets the need to resist disasters. Water consumption for ecological purpose should be taken into full consideration while exploring water resources. The construction and management of eco function zones and nature reserves should be stepped up. And environmental supervision over development of mining resources and tourism resources should be strengthened. Tasks for protecting typical sea and coastal eco systems should be handled with care, including mangrove, coastal wetland, coral reef and islands.

 Focus on the supervision on nuclear facilities and radioactive sources to ensure safety of nuclear and radiation environment. The state will apply unified supervision over nuclear facilities for environmental protection purpose in order to fully strengthen the management of nuclear safety and radiation environment. Issues concerning nuclear safety, environmental safety and waste disposal should be given full consideration while making plans for and constructing nuclear facilities. Intensifying safety monitoring over nuclear facilities under construction and in service and accelerating decommissioning of nuclear facilities and disposal of radioactive wastes. We will strengthen environmental supervision and management of mining resource development that generate electromagnetic radiation and associated radioactivity. Safety management system on radioactive sources should be improved.

 Focus on the implementation of key national environmental protection projects to promote the settlement of present pre-eminent environmental issues. Since the beginning of Eleventh Five-Year-Plan period, key national environmental protection projects will be incorporated into guidelines for national social and economic development and some special programs, so these projects must be carefully carried out. The key projects include disposal of hazardous wastes, treatment of urban sewage, innocuous treatment of refuse, desulphurization of coal-fired power plants, construction of important eco function zones and nature reserves, environmental protection action plans for well-off rural communities, safety for nuclear and radiation environment and capacity building of environmental management.