Two companies in Shenzhen's Bao'an District have been fined
250,000 yuan (US$31,000) in total for discharging untreated
chemical waste into a river, the Daily Sunshine reported
yesterday.
The district's environmental protection inspectors found April 3
that several workers from a local cleaning company were discharging
chemical waste into the Shanghenglang River, a tributary of the
Guanlan River, without any treatment. The inspectors immediately
put an end to the practice.
If too much chemical waste flows from the Shanghenglang River
into the Guanlan River, a serious pollution accident may occur, the
inspectors said. They conducted a test on the water quality of the
Shanghenglang River on Sunday and the result showed the water was
safe.
After investigation, the inspectors found that the cleaning
company was paid by an iron wire company to treat the chemical
waste at a price of 50 yuan per ton.
According to related rules, all chemical waste should be
entrusted to qualified enterprises, which obtain prior approval
from the government, for treatment, the investigators said.
Shenzhen now has four such enterprises, which charge about 1,000
yuan per ton.
The district's environmental protection bureau ruled that the
iron wire company should be fined 150,000 yuan. It is the highest
fine the bureau has ordered so far. The cleaning company was fined
100,000 yuan.
(Shenzhen Daily April 11, 2006)