Pollution violators exposed

Environment minister blames lax government efforts for situation

Environmental inspectors conducting strict reviews on air pollution in northern cities have exposed serious violations relating to control measures, including insufficient efforts of city governments, with Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei province, being criticized for its deterioration of air quality in January.

On Saturday alone, over 140 new violations were exposed by the more than 260 inspectors sent by the ministry, which launched monthlong inspections on Feb 15 covering the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the neighboring provinces of Henan, Shanxi and Shandong.