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June 1, 2016

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China to get tough on soil pollution

CHINA aims to curb worsening soil pollution by 2020 and stabilize and improve soil quality by 2030, the State Council said in an action plan yesterday.

The central government will set up a special fund to tackle soil pollution, as well as a separate fund to help upgrade technology and equipment in the heavy metal sector, it said in a statement on its website (www.gov.cn).

The government will also continue to eliminate outdated heavy metal capacity.

Last year, Chen Jining, the environment minister, said 16 percent of China’s soil exceeded state pollution limits.

Treatment costs for heavy metal or chemical contamination are high, and China has struggled to attract private funds for soil remediation.

According to Reuters calculations, the cost of making China’s contaminated land fit for crops or livestock would be around 5 trillion yuan (US$760 billion), based on average industry estimates of the cost of treating one hectare.

Analysts have estimated the soil remediation market could be worth as much as 1 trillion yuan, but authorities have struggled to determine who should pay for rehabilitating land. Much of the responsibility for the cost now lies with local governments.

Researchers with Guohai Securities said earlier this year that there are currently 100 key soil remediation projects underway in China costing an estimated 500 billion yuan. With no natural profit motive to encourage private companies to get involved, the projects rely mostly on government funds.

China’s current five-year plan says the country will give priority to cleaning agricultural soil. It also promises to strengthen pollution monitoring and promote clean-up technologies.

During the annual session of parliament in March, lawmakers said legislation to help tackle soil pollution would be introduced by next year.

Companies in the sector include Beijing Orient Landscape and Ecology, Tus-Sound Environmental Resources and Beijing Originwater Technology and Guangxi Bossco Environmental Protection Technology.




 

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