Environmental inspectors are involved in an uphill
struggle against polluting companies. They say local protectionism
and light punishments for violations are hindering efforts to
counter widespread pollution.
There has even been violence against inspectors;
each year, about 120 assaults take place, along with 4,000
incidents in which inspectors encounter intentional barriers.
The campaign against polluters started in April, a
joint move by six ministries, including the State Environmental
Protection Administration, the National Development and Reform
Commission and the Ministry of Supervision. It is the second year
for them to carry out such action.
In recent years, complaints by the general public
about environmental problems have increased 20 percent annually and
the number of telephone complaints was up 330,000 last year, said
Wang Jirong, State Environmental Protection Administration
vice-minister.
According to Chen Shanrong, from the
administration’s Environment Supervision and Inspection Bureau,
470,000 companies had been inspected by the end of September.
About 23,000 cases involving violations were filed,
with more than 5,000 companies shut down, and 3,000 ordered to stop
production.
Meanwhile, 4,500 companies have been required to
make improvements within a limited period.
In addition, about 3,100 spotlighted problems in
which water quality, air quality and noise affected people’s daily
lives.
However, Chen said one-third of cases have not been
concluded. He called on government at all levels to make sure that
each of them is dealt with.
It was also found that half of existing sewage
treatment plants are not operating normally. Chen said many of them
do not have compatible sewage collection systems.
Lu Xinyuan, head of the bureau, said similar
actions against polluting companies can be traced back to 2001.
In the past four years, about 10,000 companies were
shut down or ordered to stop production and take pollution
treatment measures.
However, about 50 percent of such companies
reappear, sometimes with even more serious pollution problems, he
said.
Small companies such as cement, papermaking and
coal-burning power plants, which use outdated techniques, consume
large quantities of energy and result in serious pollution.
And some big companies do not use their
pollution-treatment facilities and illegally discharge
pollutants.
The fines that authorities levy on polluters are
far less than the profits such companies earn.
Currently, the highest fine is 1 million yuan
(US$120,000) for those who cause very serious pollution, such as a
chemical fertilizer plant that caused pollution on the Tuojiang
River in Sichuan Province in February and March.
The accident caused economic losses of 300 million
yuan (US$36 million).
Local protectionism is another contributor to the
rampancy of pollution, Lu said.
Many projects that should not be approved are built
just because of the support of local governments, who pursue
economic growth without paying attention to environmental
protection.
Lu suggested that environmental authorities should
be given the right to stop projects’ approval and that the maximum
fine on polluters be raised.
Lu also said that some local governments do not
punish those who assault inspectors severely enough, effectively
condoning them.
(
China Daily December 7, 2004)