April 1999

Shenzen, a city in China, has been experiencing major problems with water pollution for some time. 

Approximately 2.5 million people live in Shenzen, which is located near the Chinese border with Hong Kong.  The city has been growing rapidly as a variety of industries there have expanded and its population has boomed.

The water streams flowing through the city, which provide it with its limited water resources, are rapidly becoming polluted and unusable.

As a result, the city government will begin limiting the use of the chemical phosphorous, which is seen to be at the heart of the water pollution problem.

A cleaning agent that contains large amounts of phosphorous is one of the primary substances affecting the water supply.  The local government plans to ban several cleaning agents by August of 1999.

Despite the many industrial facilities, Shenzen's environmental agency cites the cleaning agents as the main problem.  However, the city's unusually large hotel industry has meant that more than average levels of cleaning agents are used.

Because of such agents as laundry detergent, Shenzen's streams have phosphorous levels as much as 10 times the normal rate.

The infiltration of phosphorous into the water supply can lead to the growth of algae, which makes the water black and odorous and can kill animal life in it.

Shenzen Economic Development Bureau