Minister Says Pollution Persists Despite Efforts to Stop ItChina has stopped or reversed environmental degradation trends in parts of the country, the environmental protection minister said Monday in Beijing.But he said the prospects for China's environmental protection are grim, as pollutant discharges remain high. Xie Zhenhua, minister of the State Environmental Protection Administration said at a press conference that the Government will redouble efforts to clean up pollution. The conference, organized by the State Council Information Office, was held to honour World Environment Day Monday. About 28,000 enterprises still fail to meet the State environmental standards, Xie said. Another 7,280 major industrial polluters still take no action to reduce discharge, while 7,750 enterprises are developing environmental treatment plans, SEPA statistics indicated. Of China's 230,000 polluters, 85.3 per cent have met environmental standards, an increase of 7,192 companies over last year. In western regions where the ecology is fragile, environmental protection is more critical. Xie warned local western officials that environmental evaluations must be done before any large projects proceed. "Developing a local economy first at the cost of environment, then later trying to recover it is the most unwise way to develop an economy," he said. Xie's agency plans to investigate the environmental situation in the west to gather statistics it can compare to future findings. SEPA also will set up natural reserves and model ecological areas along the Yangtze and Yellow rivers to promote environmental awareness. And it will open more monitoring stations along the Yangtze and other major rivers to check for illegal discharges. During the 10th Five-year period (2001-2005), he said, the Government will focus on the Three Gorges Dam region, and all industrial polluters affecting the dam will be removed. |
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