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Man Jailed In China For Dumping Chemical Waste
Shanghai (AFP) Nov 21, 2006 A Chinese man was sentenced to 18 months in jail for illegally dumping chemical waste, state press reported Tuesday. Xiao Cangwang dumped 39 tons of unprocessed construction site waste that contained poisonous chemicals including hydrogen chloride and hydrogen fluoride on three occasions between March and June in Shanghai, the China Daily said. The waste, which emitted a strong odor and caused skin irritations for one passer-by, cost the authorities 330,000 yuan (41,770 dollars) to clean up, according to a Shanghai court cited by the newspaper. The maximum penalty for people convicted of causing serious environmental pollution is seven years in prison, it said. Xiao, 40, dumped the chemical waste by the side of the road and at another construction site on behalf of a chemical manufacturer for a fee, it said. Reports of businesses and individuals being punished for dumping chemicals and other waste -- a common practice that has significantly contributed to China's vast environmental woes -- rarely surface in the national press.
earlier related report Under the new noise management regulations, construction companies, property management firms, drivers and street vendors would face fines if they generated noise that caused disturbances in their neighborhood, the China Daily reported. From next month, construction companies could be fined up to 200,000 yuan (25,320 dollars) -- seven times the current penalty -- if construction work was carried out between 10pm and 8am, or during school exam periods, the report said. Drivers who honked in quiet zones and street vendors who used loudspeakers to attract customers could also be fined up to 50,000 yuan, it said. Property management firms of office and residential buildings could also be fined up to 100,000 yuan if their air conditioning systems failed to meet environmental standards. Beijing has suffered worsening noise pollution in recent years amid a building construction frenzy and a rocketing number of cars on the road. According to Beijing's environmental bureau, public complaints on noise constituted half the environmental complaints they received over the past two years, the paper said.
Source: Agence France-Presse Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Our Polluted World and Cleaning It Up Our Polluted World and Cleaning It Up
Zambia Biggest Copper Mine Resumes Operation After Closure Over Pollution
Lusaka (AFP) Nov 18, 2006Zambia has lifted a ban on the country's largest copper mine, imposed after its leaching plant polluted water supplies for over 50,000 nearby residents, an official said Saturday. The government allowed the Konkola Copper Mine (KCM) to resume full operations after it introduced new safety measures, said Edward Zulu, the head of the government's environmental law body. |
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