A long-awaited project to tackle heavy-metal pollution has been approved by the State Council as part of the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015).

The national blueprint for 2015 has set an emission-reduction target for five heavy metals, in key polluted areas, by 15 percent from 2007 levels, Environment Minister Zhou Shengxian, told a televised conference on Friday.

The metals are lead, mercury, chromium, cadmium and arsenic.

There have been a number of high-profile cases involving heavy-metal poisoning in recent years.

The first national pollution census, published in 2010, shows that China discharged 900 tons of the five metals in 2007.

The ministry listed 138 target zones in 14 provinces and regions, including the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.

A total of 4,452 enterprises, including non-ferrous metal mines, smelters, lead-acid battery manufacturers, leather producers and the chemical industry, are listed as major monitoring targets.

The list was made after an intensive nationwide survey of more than 110,000 enterprises, conducted jointly by nine ministries at the end of 2010, according to Zhou.

Provincial governments are requested to work out their specific plans and targets by the first of half of 2011. Local officials who fail to enforce the targets will be held responsible.