Chemical companies caught discharging pollutants illegally are now paying the price for their crimes.

Xinhua news reported that most companies recently ordered to suspend production due to the pollutants they released have taken action to address the costly problem.

Wuxue Weiye Chemical Plant in central China's Hubei Province was one of those that paid a great price for its illegal discharge of pollutants, according to plant director Zhang Qun.

He said his factory had lost 2 million yuan (US$241,000) after it was asked to suspend production while it improved its discharge controls.

In the meantime, the firm's rivals had taken over its share of the domestic market, he said. The plant's indirect economic losses were difficult to estimate.

To make up the losses, the director said his factory had injected 2 million yuan (US$241,000) into updating its facilities for discharging wastewater.

Minfeng Chemical Holdings in Chongqing in southwest China has also paid greatly for its disregard of the environment.

The company had been punished many times by local environmental protection departments because it discharged wastewater containing toxic chromium into nearby rivers, according to the Xinhua report.

The company's sales dropped sharply after it was put on the list of polluting enterprises by the State Administration of Environmental Protection, the report said.

The economic losses from suspending production and administrative penalties forced the company to deal with its pollution problems, the report said.

Company sources said they had decided to close an outdated production line which had been in use for 45 years and were building a plant to process wastewater.

(China Daily November 8, 2003)