2,200 officials in 3 provinces held accountable for lax environmental efforts

Insufficient implementation of pollution control efforts and deterioration in some regions due to over-exploitation of resources were found by top inspectors in Heilongjiang, Jiangsu and Henan provinces, according to inspection results released on Tuesday by the environmental protection authority.

More than 2,200 officials have been held accountable in the three provinces, where top-level inspections by the central government began in mid-July, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

In the three provinces, central inspectors exposed more than 4,900 cases involving environmental pollution. The provincial governments completed their subsequent investigations, and 167 people were detained.