BEIJING, March 11 (Xinhuanet) -- China will take measures to further crack down on enterprises heavily polluting the environment, including factories polluting source areas of drinking water.

    Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan made the remark here Thursday at a seminar on stopping illegal polluters.

    Despite the remarkable achievements made in national environmental protection, problems of river and lake pollution, acid rain, noise pollution, electronic waste, dangerous waste and toxic chemicals are salient in China, Zeng said.

    In 2004, China will put the focus on punishing illegal activities polluting the environment, and on solving ecological problems deeply concerning the public, he said.

    The government will shut down polluters threatening the safety of drinking-water source areas, punish noise polluters disturbing residents' ordinary life, clamp down on business venues causing smoke pollution and strictly supervise urban discharge of pollutedwater and garbage, he said.

    Any construction project violating environmental laws or regulations should be stopped immediately, and the waste dischargeto major drainage areas and reservoir areas should be strictly controlled, he said, calling for the development of a recycling economy and clean production. Enditem