Provinces and cities empowered to sue polluters

Governments at provincial and city levels and their subordinate departments have been given the authority to sue polluters for damaging the environment.

The new measure was outlined in a judicial interpretation of 23 articles issued by China's top court on Wednesday. It will strengthen the fight against pollution and help in the restoration of damaged environments, the Supreme People's Court said in a statement.

"Government departments, compared with individuals and organizations, know more about law enforcement of environmental protection and are more powerful in evidence collection, so as plaintiffs they will better solve pollution cases," said Jiang Bixin, the court's vice-president.