Chinese enterprises are encountering more severe sanctions since the revised environmental protection law took effect over a year ago.

Polluters were fined nearly 116 million yuan (17.8 million U.S. dollars) in December and January, the Ministry of Environmental Protection announced on Saturday.

Environmental supervision chief Tian Weiyong said polluters in 56 cases were fined in January compared to 10 cases in the same period last year.

Under the new system, if an enterprise is fined for illegal discharge of pollutants and told to stop, it may face fines which accumulate daily until they remedy its practices. In the past, enterprises received a one-off fine.

The legislation tackles a longstanding problem in China whereby the cost of observing environmental legislation was higher than breaking the law.

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