China intensifies rural environment protection via public interest litigation

BEIJING -- Procuratorates across China strengthened efforts to protect the environment in rural areas through public interest litigation, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said on Wednesday.

As a result, over 6.3 million tonnes of household trash and solid waste had been cleaned up in the first 11 months of 2020, according to statistics released by the SPP.

Tough actions had been taken against 750 illegal farms, recovering compensation worth over 850 million yuan (about $131 million) for ecological restoration and environmental governance, the SPP said.

Procuratorates also paid close attention to issues including littering, sewage discharge and pollution in areas where the source of drinking water lies.