Air pollution more than half of environmental complaints in China

BEIJING -- The Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) received information from more than 88,000 members of the public about pollution in the first quarter of 2017, with air pollution topping complaints, it said Thursday.

Most of the complaints were lodged through the telephone hotline "12369" and the remainder through the official MEP WeChat account and website. More than 63,000 cases have been concluded.

Of all, 55 percent were related to air quality, while pollution of noise, water and solid waste accounted for 30 percent, 10 percent and seven percent, respectively, according to the ministry.

Construction firms were the subject of the majority of complaints -- 33 percent of the total, followed by chemical production and hospitality entities.

Complaints in north China focused on dust emission from boilers and steel mills, while the south of the country was irked by the unpleasant stench from landfills. Industrial waste gas was a common complaint in eastern regions.