On December 26th, the reporter learned from local water resources authorities that Huibei Provincial Department of Water Resources had given an official and written reply to the Yichang Overall Plan of Lake Conservation with the agreement of the provincial government. 11 lakes with a total area of 14.1 square kilometers have been listed in the provincial lake protection directory.

　　The 11 lakes are Taojia Lake, East Lake, Liujia Lake, Taiping Lake, Yangjiadang Lake, Wuliu Lake, Dangjia Lake and Qingming Lake in Zhijiang, Jijia Lake in Dangyang and Nanzhuangqiao Lake and Guizi Lake in Yidu.

　　The official and written reply requires that the government of Yichang should follow president Xi’s water management conception of "prioritized water saving, balanced distribution, systematic management and two hands’ power(the government’s power and the power of the market)" to strengthen the protection of lake resources, standardize the development and utilization of lakes so as to ensure that the lake area will not be reduced, lake water will not be polluted, ecological environment of lakes will be improved and the effective functioning of lakes will be maintained. All this will help sustainable utilization of lake resources and provide support and guarantee for sustainable and healthy economic and social development.

　　The official and written reply points out that great attention should be paid to lake protection. The government should strengthen leadership, implement the responsibility system for lake protection and increase investment. Besides, the government should also improve working mechanisms of lake protection, step up efforts to compile a conservation plan for each lake and fulfill the goals and tasks set out in the plan seriously so as to push the plan forward steadily.

　　According to the official and written reply, relevant departments of our city will work according to their respective functions and responsibilities, strengthen guidance, support and supervision of the implementation of the plan to ensure the scheduled realization of plan goals.