A view of a beach in South China's Hainan Province (File photo: Internet)

South China's Hainan Province, dubbed as “heaven” for tourists and known across China for its blue seas and clean sands, has seen its environment “seriously destroyed” in recent years due to local government's pursuit of short-term economic growth, the People's Daily reported.

An on-the-spot environmental inspection team sent by the central government criticized the government's practices on December 23 in developing property projects and the local economy at the expense of local ecological system, the report said.

A worker passes by a property project in Haikou, capital of South China's Hainan Province in September. (Photo: VCG)

“The over-developed property projects since 2006 have ramped up pressure on Hainan's environment, not only resulting in severe damage to local ecology and vegetation but also leading to other problems such as coastal erosion and sewage discharge,” an official from the inspection team was quoted as saying in the report.

For example, the basic facilities in some Hainan cities “lagged behind” that of other provinces. A sewage treatment plant in Haikou, capital of Hainan, has yet broken ground and is still discharging massive amounts of black and dirty sewage.

The mariculture sector of Hainan has also been developed in a disorderly manner, with some sea farms locating in stream outlets where sewage was difficult to diffuse. Some have even illegally operated in nature reserves and coastal protection forests, the report noted.

The inspection team urged the Hainan government to strengthen efforts in protecting nature reserves and prevent the potential impact of property development on the ecological system, the report said.

The local government must submit an overhaul plan to the State Council, the country's cabinet, within 30 working days.

Some nature reserves in Hainan are being destroyed by local property proejcts. (Photo: cyol.com)

Demands for apartments and villas in the province have been soaring in recent years, as more Chinese travelers ventured to Hainan – a warmer tourism destination – to enjoy costal scenery. The State Council also issued a guideline in 2010, aiming to build Hainan into an International Tourism Island.