Environmental protection efforts intensified

It is essential for Liaoning Province of Northeast China to improve its environmental quality in order to enhance overall economic and social development, a top local official noted.

"The final goal of revitalizing the old industrial base is improving people's living standards. Therefore, we will spare no effort to improve environmental quality, to ensure people here drink quality water, breathe fresh air and have safe food," said Li Keqiang, Party secretary of Liaoning Province.

Responsibility system

To this end, the Liaoning Party committee and provincial government have introduced a special responsibility system, under which the top Party or government officials are responsible for environmental protection issues of certain local cities.

For example, Li recently paid a visit to Anshan to inspect the measures taken by the city for environmental protection.

Meanwhile, Executive Vice-Governor Xu Weiguo and Vice-Governor Li Jia have been assigned to supervise the pollution case at the Shenyang-based Xiyang Steel Company.

A number of mayors and city Party secretaries have also been called upon "to be seriously responsible for industrial pollution cases" that pose a great environmental threat.

The Liaoning Environmental Protection Bureau has so far settled 18 environmental pollution cases after it set up a special group to deal with such issues.

The provincial environmental protection authority has attached great importance to improving people's living conditions, and has thus strengthened its environmental protection efforts in recent years.

It recently issued a special notice, which stipulates that sewage water cannot be discharged to "water source protection areas," to ensure a safe and healthy drinking water environment for locals.

The bureau also worked with other provincial departments to close down 10 companies accused by locals of polluting water sources through sewage discharge.

Increasing investment

At the Huajia Village in Kangping County, a poverty-stricken area gravely affected by pollution, the provincial environmental protection bureau has so far invested up to 400,000 yuan to help residents improve their living conditions.

Last year, the environmental bureau also invested 8 million yuan for the establishment of a sewage treatment plant in the county.

Further, the provincial government has worked with the Tieling city environmental protection department to invest up to 10 million yuan in digging more than 20 deep wells, which now serve as new water sources for residents.

The move came after the Tiaozi River, a tributary of the Liaohe River, was seriously polluted by industrial waste. The polluted river water has seriously affected even underground water.

In another development, the provincial environmental protection bureau has furthered its efforts in cracking down on small industrial enterprises that threaten the local environment.

Over the last few years, a number of small enterprises, mainly engaged in paper and steel production, have been set up in the province without approval from local environmental protection bureaus.

There are nine such small steel plants in Shaoling Township in Liaoyang County, for instance.

These enterprises, with lower production efficiency and higher energy consumption, usually have no sewage treatment facilities and cause severe damage to the local environment.

In view of this, the provincial environmental protection bureau has ordered small enterprises that are not environmentally friendly to cease production.

Also in Liaoyang County, clearance of strict approval procedures has been made mandatory for all new industrial projects, except for those related to clean-energy and recycled products.

Bureau officials also said that a special campaign will be launched across the province later this year, targeting small industrial enterprises that are unable to meet environmental protection standards.

Liaoning's large corporations have also been asked to pay more attention to environmental protection.

Action taken by firms

The Anshan Mining Company, affiliated to the Anshan Iron and Steel Group Corporation, has been carrying out a greening project around the mining plant since 2002.

So far, more than 6,000 trees have been planted in a 200-hectare area around the plant.

This year, the company plans to invest 41 million yuan in expanding its greening project to its mining bases in Anshan, Dalian, Chaoyang and Liaoyang.

The Fushun Special Steel Co Ltd has also made progress in sewage treatment by introducing new production materials and technology.

This year, the company has planned an investment of up to 36 million yuan to build a sewage water treatment plant, which will recycle all industrial wastewater.

(China Daily 09/06/2007 page57)