Environment watchdogs freed from local government meddling (Xinhua) Updated: 2006-08-01 06:25
China's national environmental watchdog is to set up 11 branches to
independently monitor and investigate environmental issues free from local
government interference.
The branches to come under direct control of the State Environmental
Protection Administration (SEPA) include five environmental supervision centers
in the cities of Nanjing to cover east China, Guangzhou (south), Xi'an
(northwest), Chengdu (southwest) and Shenyang (northeast).
Another six branches will monitor nuclear and radiation security in Shanghai
Municipality, Guangdong Province, Sichuan Province as well as China's north,
northeast and northwest areas.
"They are directly led by SEPA and will not take instructions from local
environmental protection departments," said an official with the administration.
The government has been planning a nationwide network for enforcement of
environmental laws and regulations independent of local governments since the
notorious Songhua River pollution incident.
Last November, a spill of nitrobenzene and other chemicals into the Songhua
River forced Harbin, the biggest city in the northeast, to stop water supplies
to 3.8 million people for five days.
Experts blame the frequent occurrence of environmental accidents on the
inefficiency of local environmental departments, which are affiliated to their
local governments, and their timidity in exposing pollution scandals involving
local cadres.
The five environmental supervision centers will investigate serious pollution
cases, help solve cross-regional environmental disputes and supervise law
enforcement in national nature reserves, key scenic spots and forest parks.
The other six stations will carry out daily supervision of security and
management at both civil and military nuclear facilities, and monitor emergency
work in nuclear and radiation accidents, including terrorist attacks.
The 11 branches will be included in SEPA's 24-hour emergency response
system.
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