Six thousand of China's top industrial polluters will be more
closely scrutinized by the country's top environmental
watchdog.
The list, published on the website of the State Environmental
Protection Administration (SEPA) on March 30, includes well-known
companies and factories.
Some major names include Sinopec's Nanjing facility, a steel
plant owned by Beijing Shougang Company and Meng Niu Dairy Company,
one of the country's biggest milk producers based in north China's
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The list was derived from an investigation by SEPA of 80,000
companies in 2005.
Some 3,592 companies have been identified as the worst air
polluters, responsible for 65 percent of the total sulphur dioxide
and other industrial emissions that were spewed out by the
enterprises.
Another 3,115 companies were found responsible for 65 percent of
all industrial wastewater, which includes ammonia, nitrogen, and
organic compounds.
Among the 6,066 polluters on the list, 641 produced dual
contamination, SEPA said.
Many polluters are based in north China's Shanxi Province and Hebei Province.
In Shanxi, the biggest coal-producing province, more than 400
plants are being monitored for waste gas. And Hebei, a chemical
industry stronghold, is home to more than 300 water-polluting
plants.
"The list reflects the pollution situation in local areas," Fan
Yuansheng, director of the Pollution Control Department of the
SEPA, told Xinhua News Agency.
"Other programs, like allocating pollution emission credits or
operating the national survey on pollution emission, will take the
list for reference," Fan said.
SEPA requires all the companies on the list to install automatic
monitoring and control systems that are directly connected to local
environmental protection departments.
The administration also said that the departments must do site
checks at least once a month and ensure the appropriate pollution
discharge fees are paid.
The World Wildlife Fund For Nature's (WWF) communication
consultant said the move was good but wondered if local environment
bureaus will be as cooperative as SEPA expects, according to
Xinhua.
"Local environmental bureaus are affiliated with local
governments, which are often criticized for pursuing gross domestic
product growth at the cost of environmental degradation," said
Zhang Yifei, a consultant with WWF.
The companies on the list will be the first pushed to meet
emission reduction goals. They will also get government funding to
install advanced pollution control technologies and programs.
(China Daily April 6, 2007)
