China’s environmental watchdog closes 400 companies for pollution violations

CHINA: China’s environmental watchdog has closed down 400 companies since it started a national campaign in July to tackle water pollution, state media said Tuesday.

China’s waterways are dangerously polluted after decades of rapid economic growth and lax enforcement of pollution controls.

Xinhua News Agency quoted Pan Yue, vice director of the State Environmental Protection Agency, as saying another 762 companies and projects had been suspended or fined due to environmental violations.

It did not give details about the affected companies or their alleged violations. Pan said the campaign aimed to clean up industries along some of China’s major waterways, including the Yellow and Yangtze rivers.

“A comprehensive environmental protection system should be established to limit the development of industries with high energy consumption and high pollution,” Pan was quoted as saying.

In August, the government said it was planning heftier fines for water polluters.

A draft amendment to a decade-old water pollution law would remove a 1 million yuan (US$132,000; euro96,830) cap on fines for water polluters, and would allow penalties of 20 percent to 30 percent of the direct economic losses caused by a spill or pollution, the China Daily newspaper reported.

Beijing, Tuesday, AP