Beijing, Sept.15 (xinhua) -- Chinese environmental activists on Thursday launched China's first public database on water pollution in an effort to prevent further deterioration of the country's water quality.

The database, named China Water Pollution Map (www.ipe.org.cn/water), provides information on water quality, sources of water pollution and waste water discharge in 300 cities across China, according to Friday's Beijing Youth Daily.

The database list more than 2,500 enterprises accused of causing water pollution.

"The real number of firms responsible for water pollution is far greater than 2,500, since nearly 100 cities didn't provide any useful information in this regard," said Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, a non-governmental organization, which sponsored the database.

Ma said the key purpose of the database is to publish the names of polluting companies to pressure them into shouldering the responsibility for environmental protection.

Water pollution has become a serious problem in China. Nearly 70 percent of China's rivers and lakes are polluted to varying degrees, according to the Beijing Youth Daily.

China discharged 52.4 billion tons of waste water in 2005, up 26 percent on 2000. Only 52 percent of the waste water was treated before being discharged. Enditem