The lives of fishermen along one of China's ten largest lakes, the Dianchi, have changed drastically due to pollutants from industrial and domestic waste, turning most into government contract workers with a meager monthly income.

A place, to which seagulls and swallows once immigrated from as far as Russia, to feed on its clear blue waters, now has a dirty greenish surface, where one can only spot dead fishes.

Three hundred kilometers in length, the Dianchi is situated at the Southwest part of Kunming, Yunnan, and used to be a major source of food and water for more than 100,000 people living in its vicinity.

But the environmental crisis has led to many fishermen being forced to migrate elsewhere in search of greener pastures. Some have relocated as far as 1,000 km further north to friendlier sites like Li Jiang and Shangri-la.

Displaced fishermen

Others, like Mr SS Lee, turn to lower-income jobs as government contract workers. When met at one of the former fishing sites at the lake recently, Lee, an ex-fisherman, said he has now forsaken his expertise to 'reluctantly become a contract worker' with no fixed income.

Lee and his wife, both in their 30s, now work as cleaners, whose daily chores include cleaning the big wide lake, which is extensively covered by water hyacinths. 'It's tiring, dirty and difficult,' said Lee, who travels about 40 km every day to do his work, earning not more than 15 yuan (about USD2) daily for his troubles.

'It was also difficult when I was a fisherman, but at least, we could eat what we caught,' he added with a wry smile.

Both husband and wife have to brave the cold weather and strong winds daily to slog for an eight hour job, which can extend to up to 12 hours. Like many of their peers, their faces are drawn and weather-beaten, they look much older than their age.

He was interviewed as part of a half-day field trip by representatives of the People's Caravan for food sovereignty, who were in Kunming, China recently.

Organised by the regional Penang-based Pesticide Action Network Asia Pacific , the caravan is an internationally-linked program involving thousands of farmers and agricultural producers in Asia and Europe.

It visited 13 countries in Asia and three in Europe, and ended with a conference and public rally in Kathmandu, Nepal, at the end of September.

Improving the situation

Meanwhile, much effort has been put into reversing the considerable economic losses in the Lake Dianchi area due to the environmental pollution.

In 1993 the State Council approved a comprehensive pollution control plan for the Dianchi. In 1995, the Chinese Government listed Dianchi Lake as one of three key lake targets of a pollution control project focused on cleaning up the Liaohe, Huaihe and Haihe rivers.

The stated goal is to reduce the volume of the polluting discharge by ten percent by the year 2005. Plans include 39 wastewater treatment plants for Dianchi, Taihu and Chaohu lake basins, a project projected to cost about US$1.5 billion.

Meanwhile, in the midst of all the pollution, factory debris and fishing boats clearing up water weeds, stands a tall monument depicting seagulls gliding upon what seem like waves of the Dianchi lake.

According to Dr Xu Rui, a PHD student, who works with local non-governmental organisation, Pesticide Eco-Alternative Center Yunnan Thoughtful Action (PEAC), it was the government who erected the monument.

'It is to remind people of what the Dianchi lake was like once upon a time,' said Xu Rui.

'It used to be clear and beautiful before it was polluted and the view here was very scenic before the factories came,' added the NGO representative of PEAC, who is the local host for the Caravan in China.

'It is also a stark reminder to local and foreign visitors that modernisation, if not planned properly, can rob people not only of their livelihoods but their past, present and future,' he added.

SUSAN LOONE is a researcher with the Penang-based Pesticide Action Network Asia Pacific.