Tougher efforts will be taken to prevent illegal mining, illegal exploration, environmental damage in mining areas, poor management and squandering of mineral resources, Wang Min, vice-minister of land and resources, said yesterday in Beijing.

"It is an important factor to achieve mining sector safety by improving management and supervision," Wang said.

"Repeated disasters have exposed many management loopholes in the Chinese mining sector, including poor safety measures, old equipment and lax safety procedures," he said.

The Ministry of Land and Resources will start an overhaul across the country later this year, fighting against illegal mining, illegal mineral resources exploration and dereliction of duty in mining management.

The ministry launched hotlines (010-6655-8889, 6655-8890) yesterday to collect tips of illegal mining activities.

China handled nearly 14,700 cases of illegal mining last year in an effort to enhance its management of exploration and mining of the country's mineral resources, according to ministry statistics.

Stricter control over coal resources will be imposed in a move to help develop large-scale coal enterprises and improve working efficiency, said Jia Qihai, director of Mineral Exploration Management Department under the ministry.

"Coal mine management needs to be upgraded urgently, especially in rich coal reserve areas such as Shanxi, Shaanxi and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region," Jia said.

Statistics show that 70 percent of the country's electrical power comes from coal burning.

The average coal miner in China has produced roughly 320 tons of coal a year in recent years, only 2.2 percent that of the United States and 8.1 percent that of South Africa. The death rate for every 100 tons of coal, however, is 100 times that of the United States and 30 times that of South Africa, statistics show.

(China Daily September 22, 2005)