On October 21, it was known that the outline of The Overall Urban Environment Planning of Yichang City (hereinafter referred to as the Planning) was released according to the report submitted by the Planning Institute of the Environmental Protection Ministry to Yichang Municipal Government. In the future, Yichang will plan five environmental function zones with the Yangtze River system as the skeleton, in accordance with which the environmental requirements of different types of zones will be made.

　　The planning baseline year is 2012, the target year 2020 and the long-term perspective to 2030. As mentioned in the outline of planning, Yichang is rich in land, water and ecological resources, whose water quality can fulfill the requirements of functional zones and the compliance rate of quality of atmospheric environment is more than 95%, yet are experiencing a downward trend; the quality of ecological environment is good, yet the land is depredating; the economic growth unduly depends on high energy consumption and heavy chemical industry. Yichang now is in difficult situation of rapid increase in energy consumption with great difficulty in industrial upgrading and high pollutant emissions.

　　Therefore, the planning will put forward the overall strategic positioning of the protection of ecological environment in Yichang City and assess the present situation of ecological system, functions of ecological services and ecological vulnerability to make sure its protection range. Meanwhile, the city environmental function zones are divided into natural ecological conservation zone, ecological function reserve zone, food and environmental security zone, livable environment maintenance zone and resource development and environmental protection zone with Yangtze River system as the skeleton. Moreover, the red line system of ecological environment will be built to divide the red line control systems in the fields of water, atmosphere, ecology and risk in Yichang City.

　　As introduced, the Planning Institute of Environmental Protection Ministry will amend the outline of planning after this meeting with the expectation of hosting the experts review at the end of this year. (Reporter Gao Wei, Intern Yu Jingqi, Correspondent Yi Huanxuan)