China tightens pollution goals

2007-03-03 12:20

A soldier makes his way to the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing's Great Hall of the People. (Elizabeth Dalziel, AP)

Beijing - China, one of the most polluted countries in the world, planned to step up its monitoring of harmful emissions in an effort to avoid missing pollution-reduction goals for a second year, state media reported on Saturday.

The State Environmental Protection Administration (Sepa), China's environment watchdog, would spend two billion yuan (about R1.5bn) to set up new pollution statistics, monitoring and accountability systems within 18 months, reported the China Daily.

"The systems are expected to improve China's statistical and monitoring capabilities on the environment and sharpen its law enforcement," the paper quoted Sepa director Zhou Shengxian as saying.

China, whose economic boom has given rise to massive and harmful pollution nationwide, last year missed targets to reduce emissions of major air and water pollutants by 2%, with levels actually rising by that amount.

Zhou blamed provincial and local-level governments bent on achieving economic growth at all costs for the failed targets.

Key discussions in parliament

The central government also said that some provinces might have falsified emissions data to stay within compliance of the goals.

The problem is expected to be a key issue of discussion in China's National People's Congress. The annual parliamentary meeting officially begins on Monday.

The new systems would improve the collection of statistics, introduce more advanced and precise monitoring and hold governments at all levels accountable for pollution in their area, the paper said.

Zhou said he was confident that the 2% reduction goal could be met this year, but emphasised that success or failure depended on the efforts of local governments in China's highly decentralised administrative system.

China has one of the worst pollution problems in the world.

A Sepa report late last year said air pollution in urban areas was affecting the health of millions.

It said 11 major cities, including the capital Beijing, were plagued by serious air pollution on more than a third of days in 2006, damaging the health of 15 million people.

- AFP