China's Environmental Protection Ministry Releases Pollution Complaint Statistics

The Chinese provinces of Hebei, Jiangsu, Shandong, and Henan topped a list of the locations with the highest number of environmental complaints made to a special government pollution hotline.

China's Ministry of Environmental Protection says its 010-12369 telephone hotline has "achieved good social effects" by bringing to light pollution problems around China.

The results of the latest report are compiled for April 2013, and MEP says it accepted 149 public complaints which were then assigned to various local environmental protection departments to investigate and handle.

Hebei and Jiangsu tied first having the highest number of complaints at 18. They were followed by Shandong with 15 and Henan with 11. Xinjiang and Yunnan had the lowest number of complaints, with each recording only one.

The total China-wide number of complaints involving environmental violations are reportedly 116, accounting for 77.9% of the total complaints accepted, whereas environmental problems filed in 33 complaint cases are not classified clearly. Among those environmental pollution cases, 72 are air pollution related, 23 are water pollution related, 25 are noise pollution related, one is solid waste related and 42 involve project approvals. Among these complaints, stench and odor pollution are the most reported.

Local environmental protection departments have reportedly adopted measures to handle these environmental violations. Among those offenders, 31 were suspended for rectification, 33 were assigned deadlines for rectification, 17 were banned or closed, 12 were relocated, 14 were required to reapply for authorization, 12 were imposed financial penalties, and five were transferred to other departments.

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