Central environmental inspections matter

The central environmental inspection teams that were dispatched recently have uncovered a range of problems nationwide, such as the fabrication of air quality monitoring data in Shaanxi province, the weak air pollution control in Beijing and disguised transformation of fines for polluters into fees to pollute, and lax control of pollution from ships in Chongqing municipality and some pollutants being directly discharged into the Yangtze River.

The authorities have maintained unprecedented openness and transparency with regard to the inspection results and the governments involved have taken practical measures to rectify the identified problems and hold those responsible accountable.

Since the second round of central environmental inspections was launched at the end of November, central inspection teams had been dispatched to seven provincial-level regions, and more than 2,599 persons had been punished by April 13.