Provincial pollution checks uncover problems

A monthlong environmental inspection of seven provincial regions, including Shanxi and Liaoning provinces and Tianjin, found more than 28,900 pollution problems and led to the detention of 355 people by the time it finished on Sunday, authorities reported on Tuesday.

It was the third round of inspections headed by the State Council, China's Cabinet, since 2016. Additional inspections will be conducted this year around the country. Among the provincial regions to be covered in the next rounds are Zhejiang and Sichuan provinces.

In the most recent inspection, central government inspectors received 35,523 reports from the public, of which some 82 percent, or 28,966 reports, were found to involve pollution problems and transferred to the involved provinces and city governments for further investigation, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said on Tuesday.