Police in China have detained 10 company officials for fabricating pollution data, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said yesterday, as the government steps up inspections of businesses amid growing public discontent over pollution.
The drive follows a red alert declared in Beijing last week over acrid smog that shrouded the capital, which triggered curbs on vehicle use and school closures, with a government call for a halt to “large-scale, outdoor activity.”
Eight firms, from a sewage plant in the southern city of Dongguan to a Coca-Cola joint venture in northwestern Gansu Province, were accused of using fake figures to hinder or manipulate environment checks, the ministry said on its Web site.
Special law enforcement teams from the ministry uncovered the cases, it said, adding that the firms “unscrupulously” falsified data in a bid to evade regulations.
The ministry said some of the companies involved might face criminal lawsuits.
Chinese law prescribes jail terms of up to seven years for pollution offenders, state-run Xinhua news agency said.
Zhao Yanhong (趙燕紅), a representative of Coca-Cola in China, said the case involving the joint venture happened in October and was handled by regional authorities, with a detained employee of the joint venture being released after five days.
“We have promptly accepted the criticism and rectification,” Zhao added.
Separately, Xinhua said some parts of northern China would see the worst smog so far this year starting tomorrow, according to the National Meteorological Center.
A red alert is triggered when the government believes air quality will exceed a level of 200 on an air quality index that measures pollutants for at least three days.
Beijing issued its most severe smog warning last week for the first time, a so-called red pollution alert, limiting industrial production, banning outdoor construction and halting classes at primary schools and kindergartens.
Shanghai, the financial capital, also had its worst smog in two years this week.
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