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BIZCHINA / Review & Analysis
Make polluters pay
(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-08-27 10:40
The repeated cases of contaminated drinking water reflect the degree to
which pollution has taken its toll. It should be clear that we urgently
need harsher measures, supported by law, to address the situation.
The deliberation of the amended draft of the law on the prevention and
control of water pollution by the current session of the Standing
Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) sends the message that
the deputies to the NPC share this concern, and that their motion to
revise the law reflects the will of the general public.
The NPC standing committee organized a special team last year to
investigate how the current law, enacted in 1984 and revised in 1996, was
implemented, and the team, after the investigation, proposed that the law
be revised.
They discovered that the maximum penalty allowed by the current law is
not severe enough to deter polluters.
The current law caps the fines for firms that cause pollution accidents
at 1 million yuan ($130,000). The fines on those firms that discharge
waste in violation of the rules but have not caused pollution accidents
are capped at only 100,000 yuan ($13,000). That is less than it costs to
operate waste treatment facilities, meaning the fines are likely to have
little effect on polluters.
As a result, quite a number of firms either do not install sewage
treatment facilities or do not use them even if they do have them, or
would rather pay a fine than treat their waste before discharging it.
In addition, environmental watchdogs, particularly those under the
auspices of local governments, have no power to decide whether a
polluting firm should be shut down or not. Even if they are absolutely
sure that a polluting firm must be shut down, they can only pass on
proposals to the relevant government.
It is hoped that the draft under discussion will remove the cap on fines,
and that environmental watchdogs be given the authority to shut down
polluters. Such changes would certainly give teeth to environmental
watchdogs and help tighten control of water pollution.
The regular water pollution monitoring and information release mechanism
required by the amended law should also bring more transparency to the
water pollution situation and how such pollution is controlled. If this
mechanism can encourage the general public to participate in the
supervision process by giving tips to watchdogs on specific cases
involving the discharge of waste into water, we will have reason to be
optimistic about water pollution control.
(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)
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