A survey of China's mining dumps, triggered by a deadly landslide last month, is expected to be completed by the end of October, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said on Sunday.

The survey was launched following the landslide at an unlicensed iron ore tailing dump in Xiangfen, north China's Shanxi Province, which killed at least 267 people.

The results of the survey would be used to work out a plan to make better use of the existing dumps, according to the ministry.

The dumps have long been criticized as a waste of land resources and environmentally hazardous.

An unidentified MIIT official said China had an estimated 2,700tailing dumps, with a combined capacity of 5 billion tons of waste.

In a similar move, the State Administration of Work Safety said on Oct. 2 it would carry out a three-month safety check on the nation's mining dumps, starting this month.

The administration said it would identify the exact number of mining dumps across the country as well as the state of such dumps.

The Xiangfen landslide triggered wide concern over safety at mining dumps, after initial investigations found the dumping pond was built in violation of regulations and had few safety inspections.

(Xinhua News Agency October 13, 2008)