Shanghai takes aim at polluters

Environmental protection has been included as a yardstick for assessing district governors in Shanghai, with anyone whose neglect of duty leads to severe consequences expected to accept blame and resign.

It is one measure in the city's amended environmental protection regulation, which took effect on Oct 1, and demonstrates the government's resolve to provide maximum protection, says Chen Yin, the vice-mayor of Shanghai.

"Any district governor who covers up environmental violations, who allows an enterprise to falsify monitor data or who doesn't suspend or shut down an enterprise when necessary will be required to step down if any severe consequence occurs related to their misconduct," Chen says. "If it doesn't result in severe consequences, he or she will be given a demerit on their record or will be demoted."

Any enterprise fined for illegal discharges that fails to correct the problem will be charged daily, beginning with the day the notice of the fine was received, according to the regulation.

Pollutants may include a gas, liquid, solid waste or radiation that an enterprise or construction project discharges.

The regulation takes particular aim at pollutant discharges through hidden conduits, seepage wells, rainwater drains or dumping.

Penalty amounts will be based on factors such as the direct losses caused by the illegal act as well as gains made as a result of noncompliance. "In addition, severe offenders will face suspension of production and even closure," Chen adds.

Since the beginning of last year, when China's environmental protection law took effect, the upper limit of the penalty has been 1 million yuan ($150,000; 134,000 euros), a sharp increase from the 100,000 yuan set in an earlier version of the law passed a decade ago.

Nearly 2,600 environmental violations were investigated and resolved in Shanghai last year, a year-on-year rise of 34 percent, with 173 million yuan levied in fines, up 68 percent.

"The fines amounted to 133 million yuan in the first eight months," says Jiang Zihao, a legal specialist with the Shanghai government's legislative affairs office. "The implementation of the law is getting tougher, imposing high costs as a deterrent."

Two other measures in the regulation are designed to pressure polluting enterprises into taking the initiative to fix any problems. These include charging higher electricity rates for violators and placing their names on a credit blacklist.

zhouwenting@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 10/07/2016 page24)