Polluters in China play with fire amid lax inspection

NANNING - Outrage runs high as polluters in China continue ignoring environmental damage, coveting maximum profits amid lax inspection laws.

On Monday, the environmental department in Hechi City, south China' s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, shut down a zinc mine and fined the company for illegally discharging pollutants.

The Lame Zinc Mine under Guangxi Jinhe Mining Co. Ltd was found to have discharged waste water containing excessive levels of cadmium and zinc in July, according to the statement.

The mine was fined 300, 000 yuan (48, 800 U.S. dollars), although the waste water did not cause much pollution. It was ordered to stop production earlier this month, the statement said.

The case came two years after Guangxi Jinhe Mining Co. Ltd was caught in similar river contamination case.

In Jan. 2012, the Longjiang River, located in Yizhou, Hechi city, was found to have been contaminated by cadmium, threatening the drinking water of the downstream Liuzhou City, which is home to 1.5 million people. It took one month of emergency treatment to restore water quality in the river.

The company was fined 1 million yuan and its three managers were sentenced to three years in jail.

On Monday, three chemical factories found illegally dumping waste water into city sewage systems and the sea in east China have had their cases turned over to police.

After being investigated and fined by the local environment authorities, the three factories in Lianyungang city will now be probed for possible criminal charges.

In one case, a company built its own pipelines to dump toxic waste water into the sea.

The three cases are very serious and have left a large environmental impact, said a statement by the Ministry of Environmental Protection released in Beijing on Monday.

In April, the China Youth Daily carried a report that locals at Guanyun county of Lianyungang discovered underground pipelines that discharged "scarlet water" into the nearby bay and seriously polluted the sea water.

Environment departments across the country have prepared to inflict maximum penalties as they go after polluters. In August, they closed investigation into 45 serious pollution cases, according to the ministry.

But even under such circumstances, widespread pollution cases continue to pop up, which has many people asking: why do companies in China stick their necks out to pollute the environment again and again despite risks of penalty?

Wang Xiaojun, a professor with the College of Environment and Energy at South China University of Technology, said operators of small plants discharge wastewater quietly, thinking their dirty secrets will not be discovered.

"As for big companies, it is easier to spot the pollution, so their trump card is possibly a 'shelter' from government officials," Wang said.

Low cost of transgression

The government has handed out stiff penalties for polluters, including financial punishment, but compared with their profits, such punishment is often insignificant, said Xin Chunying, deputy director with the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People' s Congress.

"For instance, for a 100,000-kw power unit, it costs about 500,000 yuan (81,358 U.S. dollars) if they keep the environment protection equipment rolling, but if switched off, they will be fined only 10,000 yuan. In this case, why would they turn it on?" Xin said.

China's newly revised environment law, effective on Jan. 1, 2015, stipulates that any company illegally discharging pollutants can be shut down and their equipment confiscated if the pollution causes serious consequences. Still, the new law remains vague when it comes to specific penalties.

Lax supervision

Environmental experts also accuse local authorities of inaction or patchy enforcement of laws and regulations, as they often rely on big companies for economic growth and local employment, making evasion of inspection a child's play.

"Because of their importance at the local level, some company heads think they will be spared even if they have had a negative impact on the surroundings," said Li Xiaoming, head of the School of Environment at Guangxi University.

Du Qun, a professor with the Research Institute of Environmental Law under Wuhan University, also frets on lackluster efforts of local officials, saying that frequent pollution cases have occurred under the "tacit approval"of local officials.

"Local supervisors ostensibly conduct their routine checks, all the while turning a blind eye on illegal activities, as they rely heavily on taxes paid by the polluters," Du said.

Amid a spell of severe pollution, the Chinese government has given more power to local environmental departments. But that also fuels concerns about possible corruption and a lack of accountability of local officials.

A plant head in Guangxi told Xinhua that environmental officials now have more power to give out penalties for polluters, creating large space for rampant chicanery.

"A penalty can range from 20, 000 yuan to 200, 000 yuan, and it's up to the officials to determine the actual amount, giving them more 'freedom,'" said the plant head, who requested anonymity because he was afraid of media exposure.

As urgency for change mounts, experts suggest that specific penalties be made for those violating environmental regulations.

"A regional inspection system should be in place to conduct checks on major projects in advance to ensure safety and battle corruption," said Du Qun.