Environmental authorities will be inspecting farmland and
construction sites this year in their fight against soil
pollution.
The authorities will monitor farmland to ensure that no
hazardous, toxic or polluting materials are present at major farms
or key agricultural production bases, Zhou Shengxian, minister of
the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), said
yesterday at the year's first national soil pollution control
meeting in Beijing.
SEPA inspectors will focus especially on farmland involved in
the vegetable basket program, a project designed to ensure an
adequate supply of fresh and safe non-staple food, he said.
"Other uses will be suggested for farmland with serious
pollution problems," Zhou said.
He said the environmental watchdog will crack down on farms that
use wastewater for irrigation. The use of pesticides, fertilizer
and weed killers will be closely monitored.
"Standards will be put in place for organic food production,"
Zhou said. "Pilot bases for organic food are to be established with
support from special funds from the central government."
He said the SEPA will also set up an investigation system for
pollution at new construction sites.
A database of unoccupied polluted areas in cities, such as
former industrial sites, will be built, giving local authorities a
tool to determine how such land should be used, he said.
The authorities are in the process of carrying out a nationwide
soil pollution survey that began in 2006 and is expected to finish
this year.
The government budgeted 1 billion yuan ($138 million) for the
project, which is expected to produce a comprehensive report on
soil pollution distributions, types, amounts and sources. The
authorities will use the results to work out plans for treating the
soil and identifying further risks.
"China is facing a tough task in treating its soil pollution,"
Zhou said.
"On one hand, the country's soil suffers from pollution from a
complicated collection of sources. On the other, unsafe
agricultural products and health problems caused by soil pollution
are appearing with greater frequently. We must treat soil
pollution."
The SEPA estimates that every year, about 12 million tons of grain
are polluted by heavy metals, resulting in direct economic losses
of more than 20 billion yuan.
(China Daily January 9, 2008)