China to get tough with environmental data manipulation

China's top environmental watchdog said on Saturday it will impose tough penalties on people who manipulate or falsify environmental monitoring data, with criminal liability in severe cases.

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment has a zero-tolerance policy for such deceptive practices and will strengthen inspections and punishment for violators, said a statement on its website.

The statement came after a court in Jinzhong, Shanxi province, sentenced five people on May 30 - including the former head of environmental protection in Linfen, Shanxi - to prison sentences of six months to two years for tampering with air quality monitoring equipment and falsifying data.