Evaluation on the Achievements of Environmental Public Interest Litigation against the Pollution in a Typical Lake in China

Abstract

The sources of the pollution in lakes might be quite complex and difficult to control. This study analyzed and evaluated the pollution control effects of a typical lake (Nansi Lake) located in northern China through judicial means. The water quality at 52 sampling sites was investigated to assess results from individual cases located in heavily polluted areas. The water quality of the entire lake and stream was further assessed using data from the National Automatic Water Quality Monitoring System. Finally, 70 kinds of pesticides from 21 sites in the lake were analyzed to assess the reduction of the agricultural diffused pollution. The results show that the water quality of the lake in 2021 has been significantly improved compared to 2020. From April 2021, China has initiated a series of procuratorial environmental public interest litigation to protect this lake, with 205 cases closed including 185 administrative cases and 20 civil cases. The results show that procuratorial environmental public interest litigation has made great contributions to solving the long-standing pollution problem in Nansi Lake.