Industrial waste dumping investigated in Shanxi

The government of Jinzhong, Shanxi province, has sent a team to Pingyao county to investigate land where industrial waste was allegedly dumped, Central Radio and Television Station reported on Tuesday.

An earlier report on Monday said that some local enterprises had dug dozens of meters deep on farmland near three villages — Xiangzhuang, Jiguo and Zhukeng — and hauled away the soil. Later, they filled the holes by dumping a large amount of fly ash, the main solid waste produced by coal-fired power plants, and some dark green, oily liquid with a strong odor.

The initial removal of the soil and the dumping of the waste destroyed more than 13 hectares of arable land and seriously affected the safety of drinking water and agriculture, the report said.

Residents complained in May last year, and the government looked into it. The enterprises — a building materials company and a landscaping company — were asked to rectify the problem, but nothing was done, so residents complained multiple times, the report said.

"We held an emergency meeting after a report was published on Monday and dispatched the working team," said Peng Fei, an official of Jinzhong's bureau of planning and natural resources. "We have required the county's bureau of natural resources to immediately stop the illegal activities and speed up land reclamation work."

Peng added that those responsible will be punished.