Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality has closed 79 ship restaurants and rectified problems on 13 others on the Yangtze River to prevent water pollution, the municipal traffic law enforcement department said Thursday.

The section of Yangtze River stretching through the main urban area of Chongqing has been plagued by ship restaurants. Sewage and waste water from these ships are directly discharged into the river, resulting in direct water pollution.

To protect the environment of the Yangtze River, Chongqing launched a campaign regulating the ship restaurants in January 2018.

Unapproved ship restaurants are to be closed, alongside checking and rectifying the sewage discharge of legally operated ship restaurants.

So far, the campaign has effectively prevented water pollution caused by the ship restaurants on the river.

The traffic law enforcement department has also busted 19 ship pollution cases where the fuel pollutant exceeded the standard level, and fined the ships accordingly.