The Yangtze River is irreversibly polluted

That's what Chinese authorities have admitted after running some studies:

China's massive Yangtze river, a lifeline for tens of millions of people, is seriously polluted and the damage is almost irreversible, a state-run newspaper said Monday.
[...]
The pollution, along with damming and heavy use of boats, has caused a sharp decline in aquatic life along the Yangtze.

The report said the annual harvest of aquatic products from the river has dropped from 427,000 tons in the 1950s to about 100,000 tons in the 1990s.

"The impact of human activities on the Yangtze water ecology is largely irreversible," Yang Guishan, a researcher at the institute, was quoted as saying.

China's communist government faces a challenge in much of the country to deal with worsening pollution caused by rapid economic growth and the failure of factories, sewage systems and other sources to follow environmental regulations.

The Yangtze accounts for 35 percent of China's total fresh water resources, the report said.

There are no words to describe how sad and horrible this is, both for the planet's resources been destroyed by man and for the livelihood of millions of individuals being put in danger because of lack of concern on the part of the government and of businesses.