CHANGSHA - All paper mills around China's second largest freshwater lake will be shut down by 2019, authorities have said.

Government authorities of central China's Hunan Province said that all pulp-making and outdated paper-making capacity in three cities and one district around Dongting Lake will be closed by the end of the year, and all paper mills in this area will be shut down by the end of 2019.

According to the government, while the industry will be removed from the area, authorities will take care of laid-off employees by helping them find new jobs. The paper-making enterprises will be transformed.

Dongting Lake is the second largest freshwater lake in China. The lake is rich in reeds, giving rise to many paper-making and pulp-making mills. While contributing to taxes and employment, they also caused water pollution.