China's satellite base city fines polluting factories

The northwestern city of Jiuquan, situated in the Gobi Desert and known for its satellite launch center, has fined more than 40 companies for pollution this year, according to the local environmental authority.

The city in Gansu Province has imposed fines of 2.4 million yuan (375,000 U.S. dollars) for dumping untreated waste in desert areas, said Yao Pu, vice head of the city's environmental protection bureau.

Desert pollution has emerged as a new problem in China since last year, when it was reported that several companies had been dumping industrial waste in northwest China's Tengger Desert since 2007, polluting underground water and damaging the desert's fragile ecosystem.

With a total area larger than Greece, over half of Jiuquan is desert. The city launched a campaign last year to "thoroughly correct" its desert pollution.

Local officials said the crackdown has been aided by the revised Environmental Protection Law, which came into effect in January featuring heavier punishments for polluters.