MOEP Requests to Control Pollution Jointly    

Zhou Shengxian, minister of the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MOEP) has recently summarized the environmental protection rectification movement in the past five years and requested other seven governmental ministries to coordinate in the pollution rectification movement from 2008 to 2012.
   More than 7.0 million law enforcement personnel have been mobilized and examined over 3.0 million times on enterprises since 2003. More than 120 000 enterprises in violation of environmental protection laws and regulations have been prosecuted and over 20 000 enterprises making illegal pollutant discharge have been shut down.
    (1) The sustained environmental protection specific movement has effectively ceased the actions of illegal pollutant discharge and rampant acts in violation of environmental protection laws and regulations have been greatly reduced.
    (2) Prominent problems endangering human health have been solved and environmental rights and interests of masses have been protected.
    (3) Outdated capacities have been eliminated and pollutant emission reduction has been effectively promoted. Rectification was focused on the papermaking sector in 2007. More than 8 000 paper mills were examined, 1 120 paper mills were shut down and 2.6 million t/a outdated capacity was eliminated, equivalent to a reduction of more than 600 000 tons of COD.
    (4) Pollution in major sectors and major regions has been controlled and environmental quality in some river/lake reaches has been improved. The former State Environmental Protection Administration conducted centralized rectification to 1 601 lead-related enterprises in 2007 and 280 lead-related enterprises were shut down. The manganese pollution problem in the joint region among Hunan, Guizhou provinces and Chongqing city has been solved and the environment there has been greatly improved after the comprehensive rectification. Hunan province has shut down 234 paper mills causing pollution to the Dongting Lake and the rectification to water quality in parts of the Dongting Lake has made remarkable achievements.
    Major tasks in the environmental protection specific movement in the next five years are as follows:
    (1) Center on fulfilling tasks of pollutant emission reduction and conduct concentrated rectification to acts in violation of environmental protection laws and regulations in major sectors
Focus of law enforcement and supervision should be laid on pollution control in 12 sectors with high energy consumption and high pollution such as power, iron & steel and construction material sectors. The control on the total pollutant emission amount and the supervision on the implementation of the pollutant emission license system in industrial enterprises should be strengthened. Responsibilities for pollutant emission reduction should be delegated to specific firms.
    (2) Center on protecting environmental rights and interests of masses and conduct centralized rectification to acts in violation of environmental protection laws and regulations in drinking water sources
The revised "Law on Water Pollution Control" already started implementation from June 1st. The protection of drinking water sources is highlighted in the law.
    (3) Center on making rehabilitation of overburdened rivers and lakes and conduct centralized rectification to acts in violation of environmental protection laws and regulations in major river/lake reaches
The strictest system for the control on the total pollutant emission amount should be implemented. Development targets should be determined on the basis of water environment capacity. Greater efforts in the control of water environment should be made through the combined use of engineering, technical and ecological methods.