GUANGZHOU, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Seawater pollution remains serious in the coastal waters off South China's Guangdong Province, where the marine ecological environment continues to deteriorate, according to local maritime authorities.
The seawater quality of the prosperous province has worsened since the monitoring began in 2001, says an annual monitoring report released by the Guangdong provincial oceanic and fisheries administration.
"The Pearl River estuary, in particular, is the most polluted sea area of our province," said Qu Jiashu, deputy head of the administration.
Qu said that of the total 95 monitored sewage outlets, 43 failed to meet the requirements for pollutant discharge.
According to the report, the area with "clean" seawater accounted for 54 percent of the total sea area along the coast of Guangdong in 2009, down 3.6 percent year on year, while the area with "moderately and seriously polluted" seawater increased by 16.3 percent.
Based on data from observation stations in the shore areas of 14 coastal cities, the report shows that the seawater quality of Guangzhou, Dongguan and Zhongshan, as well as Shenzhen and Zhuhai, which neighbors Hong Kong and Macao, have fallen into the category of "seriously polluted."
Guangdong has a coastline of 4,114 km.
The report also showed the province saw 11 red tide incidents in the offshore area in 2009, as eutrophication has become a serious problem. The incidents affected 750 square km of sea, an area that has tripled since the level in 2008.
Red tide is a harmful algal bloom of phytoplankton that kills fish and reduces seawater quality. Such blooms often take on a red or brown hue, hence the name.
Inorganic nitrogen, phosphates and petroleum are the principal pollutants in the area, mainly due to discharge from heavy chemical industrial enterprises, Wang Huajie, director of the provincial oceanic and fisheries environment monitoring center, was quoted as saying by Thursday's China Daily.
Incidents like dolphins dying from eating discarded plastic bags that they mistake for food are frequently reported in the province, with the number of fish species continuing to decrease, he said.
The seawater quality of the prosperous province has worsened since the monitoring began in 2001, says an annual monitoring report released by the Guangdong provincial oceanic and fisheries administration.
"The Pearl River estuary, in particular, is the most polluted sea area of our province," said Qu Jiashu, deputy head of the administration.
Qu said that of the total 95 monitored sewage outlets, 43 failed to meet the requirements for pollutant discharge.
According to the report, the area with "clean" seawater accounted for 54 percent of the total sea area along the coast of Guangdong in 2009, down 3.6 percent year on year, while the area with "moderately and seriously polluted" seawater increased by 16.3 percent.
Based on data from observation stations in the shore areas of 14 coastal cities, the report shows that the seawater quality of Guangzhou, Dongguan and Zhongshan, as well as Shenzhen and Zhuhai, which neighbors Hong Kong and Macao, have fallen into the category of "seriously polluted."
Guangdong has a coastline of 4,114 km.
The report also showed the province saw 11 red tide incidents in the offshore area in 2009, as eutrophication has become a serious problem. The incidents affected 750 square km of sea, an area that has tripled since the level in 2008.
Red tide is a harmful algal bloom of phytoplankton that kills fish and reduces seawater quality. Such blooms often take on a red or brown hue, hence the name.
Inorganic nitrogen, phosphates and petroleum are the principal pollutants in the area, mainly due to discharge from heavy chemical industrial enterprises, Wang Huajie, director of the provincial oceanic and fisheries environment monitoring center, was quoted as saying by Thursday's China Daily.
Incidents like dolphins dying from eating discarded plastic bags that they mistake for food are frequently reported in the province, with the number of fish species continuing to decrease, he said.
