From the Guardian:
Nearly half of China’s chemical plants pose “a severe environmental risk”, according to a report released yesterday by the country’s environmental protection agency.
The State Environment Protection Administration investigated 7,555 chemical factories nationwide and found that 81% were located either on bodies of water or near densely populated areas. Nearly 300 chemical plants were sited within six miles (10km) of officially protected sources of drinking water.Of the plants surveyed, 45% posed a major risk, the report concluded…Pan Yue, the deputy director of the environmental agency and a vehement advocate of stronger environmental protection laws, said the “current distribution of China’s chemical industry” was the main reason for the increase in water pollution accidents over the past year. [Full Text]
An press release on the report with more statistics is available on SEPA’s own website (Chinese version, with still more detail, here). The report was released in conjunction with SEPA criticisms of China’s chemical emergency response system.
Technorati Tags: China, water pollution
