湖長制 (húzhǎngzhì): Lake chiefs system

The first meeting of the Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform of the Communist Party of China Central Committee has approved a guideline for establishing a lake chiefs system.

The meeting stressed that implementing the system should be based on the complete implementation of the river chiefs system nationwide, and should stick to the basic strategy of harmonious co-existence between humans and nature.

According to the guideline, the lake chiefs should strictly manage and control the lake water space, enhance protection and management of the shores of lakes and lake water resources, and improve law enforcement in the lake areas.

The river chiefs system has been implemented in China since December last year. Till now there are about 270,000 river chiefs at provincial, city, county and township levels nationwide, among which there are 330 provincial-level chiefs.

In 2012, Central China's Hubei province, which has 755 lakes within its region, issued the first local lake regulation in China, which first advanced establishing a lake chiefs system.

Experts said the system is a necessary supplement to the river chiefs system, and is of great significance for the management and protection of China's water space.