China Daily
July 13, 2006

‘If China does not take effective preventative measures, the occurrence of environmental incidents will be out of control,’ warns Pan Yue, vice-minister of the State Environmental Protection Administration.

Nearly half of China’s 7,555 chemical and petrochemical plants have a potential risk of causing serious environmental incidents, the country’s top environmental watchdog said on Tuesday in Beijing. The State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) revealed the figure when it released the results of a national review on the plants after a toxic spill in Songhua River in last November. The results show that about 80 per cent of such factories are located along waterways or in densely populated areas, which are environmentally sensitive places. “If China does not take effective preventative measures, the occurrence of environmental incidents will be out of control,” said Pan Yue, vice-minister of the SEPA. “Most risks come from improper planning and distribution of projects, which were the fundamental reason for the sharp growth of water pollution accidents last year.” The study revealed there are 280 chemical or petrochemical sites located in water source areas, 535 along big rivers, such as the Yangtze River or Yellow River, and 2,489 have been built in densely populated areas. The problem of improper location cannot be solved overnight,” Pan said. “What we must do now is to take some remedial measures.” According to Pan, more than 3,700 plants have been ordered to improve their safety facilities because of the grave threats they pose to environmental safety. Nearly 50 have been told to relocate. About 14 billion yuan (US$1.7 billion) has collectively been invested by the 7,555 projects into strengthening environmental safety measures. During inspections, it was found that most projects had reached environmental protection requirements. Some of them have even adopted world-advanced facilities and equipment. Pan said more needed to be done. “China needs to push forward the environmental impact assessment (EIA) on planning issues.” “China is experiencing a new round of economic growth, while chemical and petrochemical industries serve as the power engine,” Pan said. “If EIA laws cannot be amended for pushing forward planning changes, then environmental problems will still emerge.” The national review follows the blast that ripped through a PetroChina chemical factory on November 13 in China’s northeastern Jilin Province, spewing tons of toxic benzene into the river. An 80-kilometre-long slick of benzene consequently surged down the Songhua into the city of Harbin.