The officials responsible for the environmental pollution incidents in Gansu and Hunan Provinces should be severely punished, a state environmental official said on Thursday.

The two incidents have been brought under control and investigations into their causes have ended, said Pan Yue, deputy director of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA).

"The two incidents were both caused by negligence and malpractice by the local governments and environmental departments, which has severely harmed the health of the people," he said.

The cause of both incidents lies with local government officials, not simply the enterprises. They ignored people's health in favor of economic growth and protected the enterprises, he continued.

"Those officials responsible should be severely punished," he said.

Lead poisoning in Huixian County in northwest China's Gansu Province has resulted in around 250 children aged under 14 being hospitalized and hundreds more have been found to have an excessive amount of lead in their blood.

Investigations revealed the Huixian County Non-Ferrous Metal Smeltering Co. Ltd. was the source of the pollution. The former state-run plant was privatized in 1996 and produced about 5,000 tons of lead a year. It failed to pass an environmental assessment after its upgrade in 2004, and its waste disposal equipment did not meet national standards. The factory continued to operate secretly after being told to cease production earlier this year.

"The local government and environmental department must be held responsible for this long-term pollution," the official said.

The other scare was caused by two factories in Yueyang of Hunan Province, which were releasing waste water with a high concentration of arsenide into the Xinqiang River, affecting the water supply for 80,000 residents at the lower reaches.

Investigations found not only the river water, but also the silt on the river bed, contained excessive amounts of arsenide, indicating the pollution has been continuing for a long time.

It was not a recent incident and it could not have happened without the approval of the local authorities, noted Pan.

Environmental protection officials around the country should treat these incidents as warnings, he said.

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