Shenyang Shuts Down Polluting Smelter

Production at the Shenyang Smelting Plant, a large state-owned enterprise in this capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, was halted on July 2, as its emission of pollution was higher than the state standard.

This is the first time that a large state-owned enterprise anywhere in China has been closed down because it was emitting pollution.

This morning, all the plant's equipment, which had kept running for more than half a century, came to a standstill, and workers were busy clearing wastes.

Liu Shuying, a local resident who has lived near the plant for more than 20 years, said that she and her family were pleased to hear the news about the suspension of the plant. "We will be able to breeze fresh air from now on," said a smiling Liu.

Set up in 1936, the Shenyang Smelting Plant was one of the backbone enterprises of China's metallurgical industry. In the 1980s, it stood in the 69th place among the 500 largest state- owned enterprises of the country. Its gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc products were one of the biggest in terms of quantity.

Despite the fact that it had contributed greatly to China's economic development, it discharged large quantities of waste residue, water, and dust, which caused great harm to the health of the local residents.

According to the local environmental protection department, every year the plant discharged into the air 74,000 tons of sulfur dioxide and 66.8 tons of heavy metal, polluting one fourth of the total area of Shenyang, one of oldest industrial bases in China.

Deputies to the Shenyang City People's Congress, Liaoning Provincial People's Congress and National People's Congress time and again appealed for a solution to the pollution issue of the plant, and in May this year the State Council approved a decision to gradually reduce production at the plant until its operations were finally suspended.

Meng Fanguang, a 47-year old worker at the plant, said, "More than 10,000 workers in our plant have to accept the fact of the suspension and change to other jobs. For me and my colleagues, the closing of the plant might not be good, but for most of the citizens of Shenyang, it is very good."

Shenyang, once known as one of the top ten most polluted cities in the world, has put high great store on the improvement of its environment in recent years. Last year, it was listed by the United Nations as a demonstration city for sustainable development.

The shutdown of the smelting plant shows the city's determination that it is making efforts to get rid of pollution completely in an early date, said a local official.

People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/