China kicks off reviews on previous environmental checks

SHANGHAI, May 29 (SMM) – The first round of environmental reviews on previous rectification works in 10 provinces by China’s central government is set to kick off in the next couple of days, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment on Monday May 28.

A total of six inspection teams would settle in Hebei, Henan, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan provinces for one month to review the implementation of rectification plans that were made during previous environmental checks.

SMM learned that small-sized secondary lead smelters in Jiangxi planned to cease their operations for the month as such environmental inspections intensified. Large-scale smelters would maintain normal operations.

In fact, some smelters have yet to resume production due to the inspection of solid waste treatment in the previous couple of weeks. The move is likely to affect an average daily output of secondary lead of 1,000 mt in the province.

Over the weekend, news broke that a lead-acid battery plant in Yifeng Industrial Park in Jiangxi illegally buried and discharged pollutant. What made it worse was that such action was already found during the inspections in 2017 and immediate rectification works were required.

The reviews are aimed at supervising such incomplete rectification works and key environmental woes found in previous inspections.  

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