Photo shows several cement factories near Liangbei Village, Dongtai City, east China's Jiangsu Province. [Photo/Xinhua]

Workshops from a nearby cement factory are within three kilometers of Liangbei Village, causing local residents great harm from the large amount of cement dust discharge. Local residents say they dare not open their windows or dry clothing outdoors, and even the rain is polluted. Locally grown vegetables are always covered with thick grey dust that cannot be cleaned by using water.

"Girls from other villages are always reluctant to marry a guy living here due to this 'large taxpayer' (the cement factory)," a villager sighed. Many villages could no longer stand living in this terrible environment and moved to other places. Villagers have complained about the air pollution to the relevant government department and environment authorities for years but the air pollution here is still rampant.