Illegal villas said to damage ecology in Shandong

Shandong province has set up a team to investigate illegal villas built in mountainous areas of southern Jinan, the provincial capital, Dazhong Daily reported.

The issue was exposed by the media on Thursday.

The area of the Taishan Mountains is an important ecological and water conservation area for Jinan, working as the main source of groundwater for the city. Jinan is well-known for the hundreds of springs that gush across the city. The city has made the protection of springs a top priority.

The illegal villas have been encroaching in the area, have created soil problems and destroyed groundwater conservation areas, posing a threat to the springs, Economic Information Newspaper reported.

Most of the villas were built between 2003 an 2015. Under the supervision of central environmental authorities, Jinan has been working to remove illegal villas since 2017. But after four years, only some of them have been demolished, and thousands remain standing. Some new ones are under construction, news reports said.

Shandong officials said the province will act resolutely to rectify verified problems in accordance with regulations, discipline and law. Investigation results will be made to public in a timely manner, they said.