China Policy Journal Volume 1, Number 1, Fall 2018 | Page 20

Water-Pollutant Discharge-Fee System in China
Figure 5. Surface water quality.
(Sources: China Statistical Year Book, China Environmental Statistical Bulletin)
discharges of COD and ammoniacal nitrogen
in industrial wastewater dropped
by 48.8% and 36.1%, respectively, with
a particularly strong decline after the
11 th five-year plan. Additionally, the
reuse rate of industrial water gradually
increased. The average pollutant
concentration in industrial wastewater
continues to decline in accordance with
the changing macro-pollution situation.
The average COD concentration
in industrial wastewater also appeared
to decline (MEP 2015), though its levels
are still far from those required by
the water-environment function. More
generally, the water quality in most areas
does not meet the aquatic-environment
standard. The water-pollutant discharge-fee
system adopts an integrated
approach and is emphasized throughout
policies and legislation, planning
and management, wastewater quantity
and concentration, surface and underground
water quality, and so forth.
However, the pollution facts interpreted
above illustrate the limitation in the
implementation of the fee system, and
the disconnections of range links within
the system impede its efficiency. No
direct evidence indicates improvements
of integrated wastewater management.
4. Driving Forces of the Water-
Pollutant Discharge-Fee System
With regard to the second
question, several factors relevant
to the fee system require
examination throughout the implementation
environment. From the
analysis above, the results obtained in
the evaluation of the fee system show
its deficiencies from a multi-scale perspective.
For instance, regarding the
management of the water-pollutant fee,
polluters’ behavioral regulation and administrative
support are not fully realized.
Regarding factors affected by the
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