China's State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) announced Tuesday that 45 percent of the country's chemical and petro-chemical plants pose major environmental risks.

 

In an environmental risk review of 7,555 chemical and petrochemical plants nationwide, SEPA found out that 81 percent of the plants are located along rivers and lakes or in densely-populated areas.

 

"Unless effective risk prevention measures are taken, it would be impossible to check the trend of surging environmental accidents," said Pan Yue, deputy director of SEPA.

 

The survey was conducted in the wake of a major pollution of the Songhua River, caused by a chemical plant explosion in northeast China's Jilin Province, in November last year.

 

The pollution threatened water supply for millions of residents along the river and alerted the central government to the high environmental risks of chemical and petro-chemical plants in the country.

 

The 7,555 plants reviewed involve more than one trillion yuan of investment (about US$125 billion). Among them, 1,354 are located along rivers, lakes, in coastal areas and near reservoirs; 2,489 are close to cities or in densely-populated areas; 100 are built near the country's major South-North water diversion project; and 86 are around the Three Gorges reservoir.

 

"Such geographical distribution poses grave environmental risks. It's the fundamental reason behind soaring water pollution accidents since last year," said Pan.

 

From January to April this year, SEPA received reports of 49 major pollution cases of various sorts from 22 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, including 13 serious ones.

 

The pollution cases resulted mainly from industrial accidents and illegal discharge of pollutants by enterprises, especially chemical and petro-chemical plants.

 

On July 9 this year, leakage of chlorine liquid in a chemical plant in Ningxia poisoned a large number of residents nearby. More than 160 people were sent to hospital.

 

Pan said that SEPA had ordered 3,745 chemical and petro-chemical plants to step up safety measures and 49 to relocate, adding that 14.05 billion yuan (US$1.8 billion) will be spent on preventing environmental accidents in all the 7,555 plants.

 

Pan said China is in a new round of rapid economic growth, of which the chemical and petrochemical sector is a major driving force. It is important to amend relevant laws immediately to strengthen comprehensive prevention of environmental risks.

 

"Otherwise, environmental accidents will continue to occur and public environmental safety cannot be guaranteed," he said.

 

SEPA deputy director Zhu Guangyao said recently that economic losses resulting from environmental pollution might amount to around 10 percent of China's GDP.

 

The government has promised to strengthen environmental protection and solve major problems this year to "safeguard interests of the people and maintain social harmony and stability." A priority of the job is to guarantee safety of drinking water.

 

According to SEPA, plants that directly cause pollution of sources of drinking water will be immediately ordered to stop production.

 

(Xinhua News Agency July 12, 2006)