Non-point source water pollution and water quality protection in Guangdong Province

A comprehensive assessment of non-point source pollution was conducted during 2003 2004 in Guangdong Province. The total river length in Guangdong Province is about 11 270 km, of which 19% of the river channel did not meet the national water quality environmental standards based on the adopted water pollution index. For the 132 reservoirs evaluated in 2003, 13% were eutrophic, while 87% are in the middle level of eutrophication. The study showed that rural sewage and solid waste, fertilizers and pesticides, dispersed livestock grazing, soil erosion and urban storm runoff are the five major non-point sources (NPS), contributing about hall of the pollutants in the water system. This paper suggests various measures for controlling non-point pollution and protecting the water environment.