Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

NEWSDESK

China cracks down on water polluters with new law
28 Feb 2008 11:15:49 GMT
 Source: Reuters
BEIJING, Feb 28 (Reuters) - China heightened pressure on polluters on Thursday, passing legislation that allows for stiff fines against heads of companies that foul its scarce water resources.

The Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law which was passed ahead of the annual full session of China's parliament, or National People's Congress, which opens next week, will take effect on June 1, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

"Enterprise heads directly responsible for causing severe water pollution incidents and others with direct responsibility would be fined up to half of their income in the previous year," the law states.

Previously, executives faced only disciplinary action, but the issue of resource conservation in China has taken on greater urgency as the government struggles to curb the environmental consequences of its breakneck economic growth.

The country periodically faces spills into rivers that result in drinking water supplies being cut off, most seriously in a 2005 case when an explosion at an industrial plant sent toxic chemicals streaming into the Songhua river in China's northeast.

Run-off from heavy fertiliser use, industrial waste and untreated sewage also caused a foul-smelling algae bloom on a lake in the southern province of Jiangsu last year that left tap water undrinkable in a city of more than 2 million.

(Reporting by Lindsay Beck)


AlertNet news is provided by
Email this article       Send comments

Topics

•  Water

MORE >>

NGO latest

•  Malteser International Lent Campaign 2008: Sri Lanka - From theoretical knowledge to practical use - How Hygiene Resource Centres help children and parents to improve their life-style
Malteser International - Germany

•  Dorcas Aid International Assists Cold Wave Victims In China
Dorcas Aid - Netherlands

•  Malteser International Lent Campaign 2008: Sri Lanka - Save drinking water from the roof
Malteser International - Germany

•  China: Multi-million dollar China response focuses on power
World Vision - Asia Pacific

•  Impact Of Conflict In West Darfur
Medair - Switzerland

MORE >>

Latest news

•  China cracks down on water polluters with new law

•  China may scrap one-child policy, official says

•  China denies Tibet railway hurting Tibetans

•  China says dumplings "sabotaged", probably in Japan

•  RPT-China vows political reform after ministry shake-up

MORE >>

AlertNet news is provided by

Related articles

Breaking stories
China cracks down on water polluters with new law (1 minute ago)

China may scrap one-child policy, official says (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight
Climate change and conflicts: Is there a link at all? (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed
Malteser International Lent Campaign 2008: Sri Lanka - From theoretical knowledge to practical use - How Hygiene Resource Centres help children and parents to improve their life-style (1 minute ago)

Blogs
VIEWPOINT: West's 'dirty work' fuels China's resource spree (1 minute ago)

Maps
MAP: Global flood locations week ending Feb 22 ,2008 (1 minute ago)


Country information

Topics
Water
Facts & figures
China

Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-02-28T071602Z_01_PEK03_RTRIDSP_2_CHINA-SPILL_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/PEK03.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-02-27T065124Z_01_PEK06_RTRIDSP_2_CHINA-SPILL_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/PEK06.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-02-27T065002Z_01_PEK05_RTRIDSP_2_OLYMPICS-POLLUTION_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/PEK05.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-02-27T034455Z_01_PEK01_RTRIDSP_2_CHINA-ECONOMY-GREEN_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/PEK01.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-02-27T025711Z_01_JAK02_RTRIDSP_2_INDONESIA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/JAK02.htm

A man walks with fishing equipment on the banks of the Hanjiang River in Xiangfan, in Hubei province, February 28, 2008. A spill on the Hanjiang River, in central China's Hubei ...


More pictures | Galleries
Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Thu Feb 28 11:39:20 2008