Pollution prevention is a key priority in the nation's environmental protection program, according to Zhou Shengxian, minister of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA).

Zhou Shengxian (second from right), minister of the State Environmental Protection Administration, pays a visit to technology staff at the Jiamusi Environment Monitoring Station in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. After the Songhua River water spill accident in late November, a group of environmental technology staff were sent to the Jiamusi Station to enhance water quality monitoring in the river.

In response to the State Council's decision on implementing the scientific concept of development and stepping up environmental protection unveiled after the Songhua River spill accident last November, the nation's environmental bodies are taking solid steps to tackle the "very severe" environmental pollution situation, Zhou reiterated when talking about actions being taken to implement the decision.

"The most urgent task for us is to check water pollution to ensure the safety of drinking water and we must win the battle," Zhou said.

Other urgent environmental problems in China include acid rain, soil pollution, organic pollutants, potential risks from nuclear facilities and the decline of biodiversity, Zhou acknowledged.

The decision outlined seven major tasks.

They include: control of water pollution, such as ensuring safety of drinking water and improving of river valleys; enhancing environmental protection in urban areas by controlling pollution; control of air pollution by reducing emission of sulphur dioxide; protecting environment in rural areas, with prevention of soil pollution a priority; enhancing protection of ecology to promote harmony between man and nature; enhancing supervision and management of nuclear facilities and radioactive sources; and implementing national environmental protection projects to solve urgent environmental issues.

Also in the plan, by 2010, the environmental quality of major areas and cities should be improved and biological deterioration halted; by 2020, the environment quality and biological situation should have improved remarkably.

Step by step

Environmental monitoring is the foundation of environmental administration.

"The current sluggish environmental monitoring mechanism hinders environmental protection," Zhou said, "The early warning capability for emergent environmental accidents should be enhanced, as we need to obtain timely data through scientific methods."

Efficient and sound law enforcement is also a key to protecting environment, he said.

To fully implement the State Council's decision, Zhou underlined three core mechanisms that the nation is now working steadily to improve. They are:

Environment impact assessment mechanism:

It provides an important basis for strategy of economic development. "We will reform the present environment impact assessment mechanism, aiming at effectively preventing environmental pollution and biological damage," he said.

Total control of pollution discharge mechanism:

The decision stipulates that in areas which suffer from excessive pollution discharge, severely damaged ecology or of which the bio-system has not recovered through conservation efforts, additional environment polluting projects will not be approved.

"This regulation is deemed as a 'master card' that the State Council has given to environmental protection watchdogs," Zhou noted.

Environment protection target assessment and pollution accountability-ascertaining mechanisms:

City, province and different government departments are all required to achieve targets of environmental protection.

Officials who fail to achieve the target will be punished. And every year, relevant assessment of these targets will be tightened.

Zhou also said that environmental protection funding should be optimized, and investment channels diversified.

Laws and legislation

According to the decision, lawmaking for environmental protection should highlight prevention at the source of pollution, focus on the coordinated development of pollution prevention, biology conservation and nuclear safety and pay high attention to the public's safety and rights.

Currently, nine environmental protection laws, some 250 regulations and about 500 environment standards are being enacted in China.

More legislation on pricing, taxation policies and waste water and rubbish charges are expected, Zhou said.

"In the next five to 10 years, a comprehensive and effective environmental protection law system will be in place in China."

He also emphasized that the nation will push technology advancement, international co-operation, publicity and education as well as co-ordination between different government bodies to a new height.

"The high occurrence of environmental accidents has become a 'blasting fuse' for social instability," he said, "But China is also faced with a golden opportunity to cope with environmental stress."

The central government has paid unprecedented attention to the issue, providing strong political support, he said.

(China Daily February 27, 2006)