China promises more anti-pollution efforts

BEIJING - A senior Chinese environmental official has warned that pollution control did not progress well in the country in the first half of this year.

Pollution reduction facilities have not been in full swing in many places and the construction of new facilities has lagged behind schedule, said Zhang Lijun, vice minister of environmental protection, in a statement published on the ministry's website on Wednesday.

Some local governments have loosened supervision in the area, Zhang said.

The Ministry will start a national inspection on pollution control measures this month, he said.

In every provincial division, the provincial environmental department will check two to three projects, such as sewage plants, thermal power plants, steel factories, paper mills, cement plants, poultry and animal farms. It will also inspect emissions from car exhausts.

China has set a target of reducing the emission of sulfur dioxide and the chemical oxygen demand, a main index for water quality, by 2 percent this year from the 2011 level.

It is also planning to reduce the emission of ammonia nitrogen by 1.5 percent and stop the emission of nitrogen oxide from increasing.