This photo taken on April 26, 2021, shows buildings that had been illegally constructed in a well-noted protected area along Dianchi Lake in Kunming, capital of Yunnan province. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

Authorities in Yunnan province have pledged to demolish all buildings that had been illegally constructed in a well-noted protected area along Dianchi Lake in the capital Kunming.

They also vowed to comb through areas surrounding the largest freshwater lake in the province to rule out any other problems that pose environmental risks to the water body.

The real estate project by Northstar Group, a local private conglomerate, on Changyao Mountain covered almost 230 hectares, roughly 92 percent of the mountain on the south bank of Dianchi Lake, one of Kunming's best known scenic spots, according to a media release from the central environmental inspection team sent to the province.

The developer hardened not only forest, grass and farmland with cement, but also ditches and creeks, according to a media release from the central environmental inspection team sent to Yunnan province

Started in early 2015, the project has left the mountain "thickly dotted by buildings" and "closely wrapped up by steel bars and cement". With the mountain's function in the local ecosystem essentially lost, it has been changed into a "concrete mountain", the team said as it concluded a monthlong inspection on Thursday.

The developer hardened not only forest, grass and farmland with cement, but also ditches and creeks, it added.

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In total, 1,107 buildings have been built on the mountain, including 813 villas, although not all of them are located in the type of protected area that prohibits real estate development.

The inspection, launched in 2016, is staffed by officials from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. Its teams are usually led by retired ministry-level officials. The inspectors report to a central leading group headed by Vice-Premier Han Zheng, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

Yunnan and Kunming governments were notified of the violations before they were exposed.

Both Yunnan Party Chief Ruan Chengfa and Governor Wang Yubo went to the site of the project on May 2 to supervise rectification work, according to a media release from the provincial authorities.

Ruan urged the Kunming government to "restore the ecosystem as soon as possible".

"We should unswervingly address the excessive development in the mountain," he said.

About 1,700 workers were dispatched to the site during the May Day holiday. As dozens of excavators demolished villas, workers had begun to afforest the hillside, according to Kunming Daily, the official newspaper of the Kunming government.

We will resolutely halt any projects that go against the conservation of Dianchi Lake's ecosystem.

Liu Jiachen, Mayor of Kunming

According to Kunming authorities, as of Sunday, the government had demolished buildings with floor area of over 27,000 square meters, while more than 200,000 trees had been planted.

The authorities also said on Monday that they will demolish the remaining illegal buildings by the end of the month.

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The city government has vowed to hammer out a rectification plan with timetables, detailed tasks, specific responsible departments and officials. It also said a comprehensive, thorough screening for environmental violations will be rolled out around Dianchi Lake.

Liu Jiachen, mayor of Kunming, said the government will not only rectify the Changyao mountain project but also evaluate others located in protected areas around Dianchi Lake.

"We will resolutely halt any projects that go against the conservation of Dianchi Lake's ecosystem," he said.

Covering over 300 square kilometers, Dianchi Lake used to be one of the most polluted in the country because of the rapid urbanization and industrialization process in the 1980s.

The water has seen continuous improvement thanks to the local government's pollution control and ecosystem conservation efforts.

Contact the writers at liyingqing@chinadaily.com.cn