Beijing to set monitoring sites to track soil pollution

The Environmental Protection Bureau of Beijing is planning to set up soil monitoring sites to help tackle the city's soil pollution problem.

Most of the monitoring pilots will be established on cultivated land and near water sources and on polluted land in Beijing.

Environmentalist Peng Yingdeng explained that this arrangement was made because Beijing has more farmland than developed land due to removal of industrial enterprises.

He also called for raising public awareness of soil pollution, which can reflect water and air pollution.

"The collected data will be used to analyze the changing trend of the city's soil," a local official said, adding that the number of monitoring sites and the period of research are yet to be determined.

According to a report on The Beijing News, China is expected to announce 10 new regulations on soil protection in the near future.