On Tuesday, the Chinese environment ministry criticized a northeastern city for "turning a blind eye" to pollution caused by small-scale oil refining companies which were prohibited in 1996, challenging Beijing's aims to clean the environment.
According to the notice released on Tuesday by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the industrial city of Anshan have been contaminated by sludge and residues from illegal refining.
Despite being ordered by the government to implement a treatment plan to clean the coast, the ministry said the city was unable to make major progress. "Daily supervision is severely deficient," the ministry said, accusing authorities of "turning a blind eye" to violations and ordering the city government to investigate and punish the officials responsible.
China has long been working to enforce its environmental laws and ensure that those who violated them are properly punished. Local authorities have been working nonstop to meet these laws since some of the affected areas are their key sources for economic growth.
The ministry said that Taian in Anshan continues to be the home of small refineries despite the 1996 ban.
"A large volume of refining waste and sludge is illegally dumped in village ponds or on farmland," it said, adding that "criminals" were making money by transferring sludge from other regions and dumping it in the county.
