Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces have established a working mechanism to jointly protect China’s third-largest freshwater body, Taihu Lake. The mechanism, which is aimed at facilitating consultation and cooperation among officials responsible for the protection of the lake, was launched on Nov 13 when officials from the two provincial governments, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Taihu Basin Authority, and riverside cities, convened for a meeting.

The various parties agreed to share information pertaining to the protection of the river, participate in joint research ventures and implement measures such as inspecting anti-pollution efforts and monitoring the level of blue-green algae in the lake. They will also hold a plenary meeting once a year and conduct random joint inspections of the lake.