The central environmental inspection team exposed 1,022 cases of pollution in the Tibet autonomous region during a month of random checks, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said on Wednesday.Polluters involved in 784 cases paid fines totaling 28 million yuan ($4.3 million), while 148 government officials were held accountable during the inspection, which began in mid-August.Despite achievements made in environmental protection in recent years, they did not meet the central government's requirements and the public's expectations, the ministry said.Inspectors also found that efforts to increase tourism in some areas had harmed the environment.For example, illegal infrastructure for visitors like a viewing deck, parking area and toilets were constructed in the buffer region of the Nam Co Nature Reserve, and untreated sewage was found to have been directly discharged inside the reserve.In addition, inspectors found that six of the 10 existing sewage treatment plants were not operating properly, leaving part of the sewage untreated.Thirty-five percent of complaints were about garbage, including poorly operated landfill sites, the ministry said.Inspectors said some leaders failed to realize the importance of Tibet, thinking that a little pollution or damage would not have a huge influence on the vast region. This meant they did not give sufficient attention to environmental protection, leading to unbalanced development of the economy and ecology.Tibet has made progress in promoting the construction of transportation infrastructure to improve livelihoods, but supervision has been loose on some projects.For example, since 2013, construction had started on 242 rural roads before environmental impact assessments were passed. Twenty of those projects still have not passed.The government in Tibet is required to hand in a plan for solving the problems within 30 days to the State Council. The plan will be released to the public.Central environment inspection teams visited 31 provincial regions, of which Tibet was among the final group, exposing a total of 135,000 pollution problems and holding over 18,000 officials accountable, data from the ministry showed. material braceletsblack rubber wristbandssilicone rubber bands
A batch of laws and regulations to benefit people's livelihoods, including the country's first environmental protection tax, rules on takeout foods and tour guide services, went into effect on Monday.The new laws and regulations were issued by the National People's Congress, the top legislative body, and central government ministries.Among the new measures, environmental protection has been a major area, with two laws and a reform plan that took effect on Monday. They include an environmental protection tax, a water pollution prevention and control law and the compensation reform plan on ecological and environmental damage.The tax is China's first with the aim of protecting the environment. It is designed to regulate companies that discharge pollutants by using economic measures, said Wang Jinnan, head of the Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning.China already had a regulation on collecting a pollutant discharge fee. But some local governments exploited loopholes and exempted enterprises that are big contributors to revenue. For years, regulators suggested replacing the fee system with a law to better regulate the companies and governments.Once the new tax is levied, companies will pay the price based on the amount of pollutants they discharge. They also will earn a reduction if they adopt advanced technologies to reduce pollution.In addition, the law on water pollution control highlighted the river chief system, which makes the government leaders the point people to coordinate control measures. Combined with other laws, this could help make pollution control more effective and make enforcement stronger, Li Ganjie, minister of environmental protection, said while introducing the law on Dec 26.Besides a cleaner environment, other aspects of people's lives also will be improved under the new laws and regulations.The new Tour Guide Management Regulation bans tour guides from forcing visitors to buy items or bullying them with curses. Those who violate the regulation will face severe punishment, including fines and revoked licenses.Under another new regulation, employers that fail to pay migrant workers their wages on time will be added to a blacklist. This also would apply if a wage debt to workers leads to mass disturbances.It will restrict them in many ways, such as applying for loans or getting licenses, said Wang Cheng, head of labor inspection at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.The joint restriction will be a major measure to protect migrant workers' interests and deter violators, he added.In addition, laws and regulations on nuclear safety, unfair competition in market and management of public libraries also took effective with the start of 2018.Xinhua contributed to this story.
