Nanshan District Procuratorate has said it would file for public prosecution against polluters and negligent law enforcement officers if the pollution issue in “Swan Lake” is not resolved.
The lake near the Swan Lake Garden housing estate in Nanshan is nicknamed Swan Lake by the residents and used to be a clean body of water. However, the mayor’s hotline, 12345, received 25 complaints in the 12 months leading up to January 2019, petitioning the government to eliminate the pollution that has turned the lake into a smelly place littered with rubbish and oil slicks.
The lake is managed by Swan Lake Garden Management and Service Center. The center complained about the pollution to Nanshan District Water Resources Bureau, which imposed fines on certain polluters. However, the problem persisted.
Based on the complaints, the district procuratorate launched an investigation and found three major sources of pollution. First, the Shenyun housing estate has a drainage system that mixes wastewater with rainwater, causing sewage to flow into the lake. Also, nearby construction sites paved the surface with asphalt, resulting in pollutants on the surface being washed into the rainwater drainage. Illegal dumping of sludge was blamed as well.
On April 2, the procuratorate convened a meeting with relevant parties, including the government departments, housing estate management companies and enterprises involved, to discuss ways to tackle the problem.
The procuratorate said it will continue to search for polluters and is ready to file a public-interest lawsuit against polluters and negligent law enforcement departments if the pollution is not eliminated.