Co-ordinated drive to target heavy-metal pollution nationwide
The top environmental watchdog is teaming up with eight other ministerial-level agencies to crack down on heavy-metal pollution nationwide in the wake of a recent spate of lead-poisoning incidents.
The co-ordinated effort between the Ministry of Environmental Protection and a range of other regulatory bodies and departments - including the justice ministry, work safety authorities and the electricity regulator - will target industries producing lead-acid batteries and lead smelting in a 'dedicated action to protect the health of the masses and environmental protection'.
However, environmentalists have expressed doubts about how effective the drive will be, given the high incidence of lead poisoning, especially among children, despite several previous crackdowns.
Vice-Minister Zhang Lijun told the China Environment News, the watchdog's official paper, that the nine departments would co-ordinate their efforts to deal 'seriously' with polluting industries as part of the 12th five-year plan, which covers the years 2011 to 2015.
While Zhang said the watchdog had made progress in clamping down on pollution, he admitted it was 'not easy to be optimistic' about the overall environmental situation.
'Problems with heavy-metal pollution are particularly prominent,' he said. 'Pressure to control pollution and reduce emissions is increasing and not reducing, and pressure to improve the quality of the environment is continuing to increase, [making] the duty of enforcing environmental legislation more onerous.'
Zhang said the regulation of the lead-acid battery and lead-smelting industries had been designated the 'most important task' on the watchdog's books this year. One of the measures introduced will require the authorities in all provinces and autonomous regions to release a list of all related factories through public media by July 30, in order to increase public transparency and encourage 'society supervision'.
The news follows a series of major heavy-metal pollution scandals around the nation. Last week the manager of a battery factory in Zhejiang province was taken into custody over a toxic spill that poisoned 168 villagers with lead.
State media reported that the Taizhou Suqi Storage Battery plant has been shut down and that officials are working to contain the spill.
Under the new initiative, the ministry is to collaborate with the National Development and Reform Commission, four other ministries - including the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Supervision - two administration watchdogs and the State Electricity Regulatory Commission. Other bodies involved include the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Renewal Development, State Administration for Industry and Commerce, and the State Administration of Work Safety.
Environmental activists welcome the development, but also express concern over the departments' sincerity in combating pollution.
Zhang Boju, a member of Friends of Nature, said he feared the crackdown could be 'a short-term effort' intended to create the appearance of action in the face of media attention and public pressure.
'Heavy-metals pollution is a long-term problem,' he said. 'Many of the issues are due to accumulated pollution over a long period of time ... This cannot be achieved in just one or two years. It needs a blueprint with clearly defined goals over a decade or more.'
