Guangdong officials who fail to curb water pollution in three years will not be promoted for two years.

Those who make a wrong decision, resulting in serious water pollution, and those who disrupt enforcement will be removed from their posts for further investigation, under The Action Plan to Clean Guangdong Water (2013-20).

The plan was printed and sent to relevant departments and cities by the Guangdong provincial department of environmental protection on Monday.

Under the plan, those who have done a good job in curbing water pollution and who have passed assessments for three successive years will receive a notice of commendation, an important reference for future promotion.

It is the first time the southern province, where water pollution has worsened, has issued such a plan to assess officials.

The plan states that Guangdong, which borders the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, will spend more than 118.7 billion yuan ($18.9 billion) to curb water pollution in the next eight years. By the end of 2020, water quality in sections of rivers running through major cities must meet State requirements.

More than 6.8 percent of the water in Guangdong is seriously polluted, while 4.1 percent is lightly polluted.