Anji balances mineral exploration, environmental protection

Anji county, in East China's Zhejiang province, has made great strides in striking a balance between environmental protection and economic growth over the past five years, according to local authorities.

In January 2010, the county government launched the office for the management committee of mineral resources, the first of its kind in the country, to streamline resource management and strengthen the supervision of mineral exploitation.

The move not only effectively preserved the natural landscape of the county but also transformed the green mountains and clear water into sources for economic growth.

Anji, home to 42 kinds of mineral deposits, used to be plagued by overexploitation of mineral resources.

Sand mining, which started in the county's Xishaoxi River in the 1970s, caused huge damage to land resources and posed safety risks to riverside facilities including bridges and levees.

More than 30 million metric tons of sand was excavated from 1999 to 2009 before commercial sand mining in Xishaoxi was banned in January 2012, according to official statistics.

Obvious progress

There are 10 mines currently operating in Anji, compared to 28 in 2009, according to the statistics bureau of the county. The output of mineral resources totaled 4 million tons this year, down from 6.91 million tons six years ago.

About 20 court cases involving mineral resources were recorded this year, compared to 121 five years ago.

In contrast, the fees related to mineral resources levied by the government increased from 17.16 million yuan ($2.66 million) in 2009 to more than 93 million yuan this year. The average revenue for State ownership of mineral resources increased from 2.13 yuan per ton in 2009 to the current 18.61 yuan per ton.

The amount of tax on mining minerals and other resources, levied since 2010, totaled 56.3 million yuan over the past five years.

Local mineral enterprises have also improved their production techniques and measures in an effort to use resources more efficiently and promote the development of a circular economy.

Strong supervision

Anji's management committee of mineral resources is headed by the county chief and composed of heads of several government departments, including the development, reform and economy commission, the land and resources bureau, the environmental protection bureau, the public security bureau and the work safety administration.

The committee now oversees government functions related to mineral project approval, mineral exploitation and processing, transportation and distribution, which were previously shared by several agencies, and an accountability mechanism has been introduced.

The committee also offers one-stop service to streamline administrative approval procedures for mineral projects and has significantly improved work efficiency in the industry.

The committee has also set up an 18-member law enforcement squad that is composed of officers from several government agencies, including the public security bureau, the environmental protection bureau and the local discipline inspection commission.

The squad formation has effectively stepped up law enforcement against mineral-related violations and crimes in recent years.

Since the launch of the office for the management committee of mineral resources in 2010, more than 290 mineral-related cases were dealt with and 11 suspects held accountable according to criminal law. Local residents reported more than 60 percent of those cases. The number of illegal sand mining cases dropped from 43 in 2010 to only three this year. The county has also closed down 73 illegal sand processing workshops and cut the number of legitimate sand processing centers from 89 to 16 over the past five years.

The county also invested more than 1.9 million yuan to build a video surveillance network that covers major local mineral enterprises to strengthen the supervision of mineral exploration.

Local manufacturers of machine-made sand have improved their techniques to meet environmentally friendly standards.

More than 80 percent of the manufacturers' raw materials are urban construction material waste, according to statistics.

Environment protection

Anji has also paid great attention to long-term mineral exploration and environmental protection over the past years.

The county has issued a range of regulations related to mineral exploitation, protection and management to improve public awareness of environmental protection.

It has invested more than 70 million yuan in ecological restoration in mining areas and built 10 environmentally friendly mines, of which one was named a national pilot.

Moreover, 23,500 trees were planted in the areas and 16 kilometers of road have been renovated.

The county also invested 10.69 million yuan in dealing with the environmental issues related to 22 abandoned mines and shafts.

Maodi Mine, with an annual output of 400,000 metric tons of basalt, epitomizes Anji's efforts in striking a balance between environmental protection and economic growth.

Basalt, a rigid material used mainly for highway construction, can cause huge amounts of dust when it is excavated and processed.

However, the reading of PM2.5 - particulate matter with a diameter less than 2.5 microns that poses major health risks - was only 34 micrograms per cubic meter at a storage yard of Maodi, much lower than the national standard of 1 milligram per cubic meter, Bao Hegen, general manager of Maodi, showed with a PM2.5 detector recently.

That achievement can be attributed to the windbreak net erected outside the mining area and 16 water spray facilities, such as those used for golf courses, Bao said.

The mine has invested more than 10 million yuan, or 10 percent of its total investment, in dust-proof measures, he said.

zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 12/12/2015 page7)