China faces big pollution task as gas level swells
Source: Xinhua |
June 4, 2010, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
REDUCING China's pollution emissions was a daunting task and the immediate outlook "not very good," a senior environment official said in Beijing yesterday.
Sulfur dioxide emissions had increased by 1.2 percent year on year in the first quarter, said Zhang Lijun, vice minister of the environment.
Output of energy-consuming industrial products had increased quickly this year, which was one of the reasons for the increase, he said.
Zhang also blamed the emissions increase on the severe drought in southwest China early this year, slow development of some projects to cut pollutants and greenhouse-gas emissions and poor efforts of some local governments and enterprises.
Major problems existed, he said, such as relatively heavy pollution of surface water across China, pollution of coastal waters, acid rain in some regions, severe traffic noise and a worsening environmental situation in rural areas.
The Ministry of the Environment had introduced measures to cope with the new problems, including releasing a blacklist of regions and enterprises not performing well in curbing emissions, he said.
However, Zhang said some progress had been made in curbing pollution.
China has set a target to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions and chemical oxygen demand (COD), two main indicators of air and water pollution, by 10 percent from 2006 to 2010.
The COD and sulfur dioxide emissions fell 9.66 percent and 13.14 percent last year compared to those in 2005.
The average sulfur dioxide concentration in the air over cities stood at 0.035 milligram per cubic meter last year, a reduction of 16.7 percent from 2005 and had not changed since 2008, Zhang said.
Water quality improved last year as the Permanganate Index in sampled sections of surface water, a method to monitor pollution by oxidizing organic and inorganic matter, dropped 10.5 percent from 2008 and 29.5 percent from 2005, Zhang said.
Last year, the country's daily capacity of waste-water treatment increased by 13.3 million tons.
Many coal-fueled generators were equipped with desulfation facilities.
Zhang said China would encourage people from all walks of life and non-governmental organizations to take part in environmental protection.
Public monitoring of pollution and advice from non-governmental organizations had helped authorities enormously, he said.
Sulfur dioxide emissions had increased by 1.2 percent year on year in the first quarter, said Zhang Lijun, vice minister of the environment.
Output of energy-consuming industrial products had increased quickly this year, which was one of the reasons for the increase, he said.
Zhang also blamed the emissions increase on the severe drought in southwest China early this year, slow development of some projects to cut pollutants and greenhouse-gas emissions and poor efforts of some local governments and enterprises.
Major problems existed, he said, such as relatively heavy pollution of surface water across China, pollution of coastal waters, acid rain in some regions, severe traffic noise and a worsening environmental situation in rural areas.
The Ministry of the Environment had introduced measures to cope with the new problems, including releasing a blacklist of regions and enterprises not performing well in curbing emissions, he said.
However, Zhang said some progress had been made in curbing pollution.
China has set a target to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions and chemical oxygen demand (COD), two main indicators of air and water pollution, by 10 percent from 2006 to 2010.
The COD and sulfur dioxide emissions fell 9.66 percent and 13.14 percent last year compared to those in 2005.
The average sulfur dioxide concentration in the air over cities stood at 0.035 milligram per cubic meter last year, a reduction of 16.7 percent from 2005 and had not changed since 2008, Zhang said.
Water quality improved last year as the Permanganate Index in sampled sections of surface water, a method to monitor pollution by oxidizing organic and inorganic matter, dropped 10.5 percent from 2008 and 29.5 percent from 2005, Zhang said.
Last year, the country's daily capacity of waste-water treatment increased by 13.3 million tons.
Many coal-fueled generators were equipped with desulfation facilities.
Zhang said China would encourage people from all walks of life and non-governmental organizations to take part in environmental protection.
Public monitoring of pollution and advice from non-governmental organizations had helped authorities enormously, he said.
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