The environment in the news wednesday, 22 August 2007 unep and the Executive Director in the News
People’s Daily Online : Emission cuts miss green goal
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- People’s Daily Online : China reports mixed picture on control of major pollutants
- The Nation : Floodings hit Phang Nga and Surat Thani
People’s Daily Online : Emission cuts miss green goalAugust 22, 2007 The country made some progress in reducing pollutant emissions during the first half of this year, but still failed to meet the green target. The government has set the goal of cutting emissions of major pollutants - sulfur dioxide (SO2) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) - by 10 percent from 2006 to 2010, or about 2 percent annually. But in the first six months, SO2 emissions dropped only 0.88 percent from 12.74 million tons to 12.63 million tons year on year. COD emissions, a gauge of water pollution, grew to 6.91 million tons from 6.89 million tons, an increase of 0.24 percent - but it is a big drop from a growth of more than 3.5 percent last year, the top environmental watchdog said yesterday. The statistics were jointly released by the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), the National Bureau of Statistics and the National Development and Reform Commission. Beijing, which has promised to hold a green Olympics in 2008, was the star in cutting air pollution, with SO2 emissions diving more than 13 percent in the first six months compared with the same period last year. Zhejiang Province topped the list in COD reduction, with the major water pollution indicator dropping 2.48 percent. Shandong Province, which has many coal-burning power plants, discharged 980,000 tons - or the largest amount - of SO2 in the first half of the year; but still it was a 2.7 percent drop year on year. The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region was the No 1 culprit in water pollution, with 550,000 tons of COD pumped, a 2 percent rise year on year. Zhao Hualin, a senior official with the pollution control department of SEPA, said although progress has been made, it is a tough task to meet the target this year. He criticized some local officials, especially those at the grassroots level, for pursuing short-term economic gain at the cost of the environment. He also chastised some local governments for slack efforts in monitoring and punishing polluters. During the rest of this year, the thermal power industry will face great challenges in controlling SO2 emissions, he said. Thermal power plants have speeded up the installment of sulfur scrubbers in the first six months, reducing SO2 emissions by 5 percent against a backdrop of 18 percent growth in power generation. The petrochemical, iron and steel, nonferrous smelter and cement industries will also be scrutinized for SO2 emissions, he said. As for water contamination control, the papermaking industry will be targeted more effectively. The petrochemical, brewery and dyeing industries are also required to cut water pollutants drastically. The official also said the green threshold will be raised for industries such as textiles, auto-making and power generation. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/6245094.html ..................................................... People’s Daily Online : China reports mixed picture on control of major pollutantsAugust 22, 2007 China saw its discharge of sulfur dioxide in the first half of this year reach 12.63 million tons, a year-on-year drop of 0.88 percent, according to a state report published on Tuesday. However, the emission of chemical oxygen demand (COD), a measure of water pollution, rose by 0.24 percent to 6.9 million tons in the first six months of this year, said the report jointly issued by the State Administration of Environment Protection (SEPA), National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). Zhao Hualin, a SEPA official, attributed the decrease in sulfur dioxide mainly to the installation of more desulfurizing facilities in coal-fire power plants. From January to June, China saw 39 million-kilowatts of coal-fueled power generators install and operate desulfurizing facilities, raising their proportion against the total existing coal power plants from 30 percent last year to a current level of 36 percent, Zhao said. Small coal-fired power plants with a total generation capacity of 5.5 million kilowatts were also closed to trim down the sulfur dioxide emissions, he said. The daily sewage handling capacity in cities also increased by seven million tons in the first six months and the restructuring work on heavy-polluting industries, such as paper and detergent making companies, also made progress, he said. "But China still faces grave pollution control tasks this year, and the most prominent problem lies in some local cadres, who are still blind to the importance of the scientific development model," he noted. The economy has grown at an unexpectedly rapid rate in some local areas, mostly at the cost of the environment, and the supervision departments at the grass-roots level are barely functioning, he said. The unsound legal system regarding environmental protection and insufficient input in pollutant-cutting facilities are also factors frustrating the pollution control efforts, he added. Targeting the growing COD discharge, the SEPA ordered its local branches to further tighten their grip over highly water-polluting chemical, brewing and printing industries, especially paper mills, in the second half of this year. Paper mills employing substandard pulp processors or using waste paper as raw material with an annual production less than 10,000 tons will be shut down, the administration warned. It also called for the construction of sewage plants and a supporting pipeline network in cities to be stepped up. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/6245053.html ............................................... The Nation : Floodings hit Phang Nga and Surat ThaniAs floods hit southern Thailand on Tuesday, 300 residents in Phang Nga's Muang district were yesterday evacuated while 500 houses in Surat Thani's Phanom district were damaged. Tham Nam Phud Tambon Administration Organisation president Don Pattanapichai and mitigation officials waded through onemetredeep floodwater to help evacuate 300 residents to a shelter near the City Hall after some villagers were already moved there on Monday night. Days of continuous rainfall and forest runoffs from Nang Hong, Kratha Kwam and Toy mountain ranges caused Klong Phang Nga to inundate people's homes. Officials are still assessing the damage. Resident Siwa Intharak, 39, said he had never seen such flooding in 10 years of living in Tham Nam Phud but he was able to move belongings to higher ground in time as the water slowly rose. About 2,000 households in Phang Nga's Muang, Takua Pa, Khura Buri, Thai Muang and Kapong districts were affected by flooding while landslides also blocked many roads. In Takua Pa, three schools were closed as a precaution while 800 families - about 2,000 people - were moved to tents on high ground in Tambon Khok Kian. District chief Phuwanart Ekkarat said this was the worst flood in 10 years and the situation was so worrying that the province had to update situation reports every hour. Phang Nga Governor Winai Buapradit said officials sent initial aid to affected residents. Phang Nga Red Cross Society president Ratree Buapradit said her office sent 500 relief bags to each floodhit district. In Surat Thani, a flash flood from the Khao Sok National Park hit six nearby villages in Phanom district at 5am yesterday, inundating 500 homes and damaging a bridge to the park. Ninety students from Phanom Suksa School who had planned to camp in the national park for three days were reported safe and left for home yesterday morning. The 86th to 87th kilometre stretch of Phang NgaSurat Thani Road became impassable due to 50cmdeep water, while a landslide blocked the 104th to 105th kilometre stretch and forced vehicles to use only one lane. Surat Thani Governor Niwat Sawaskaew and officials distributed supplies to flood victims and gave them moral support. At 4am yesterday, the Meteorological Department issued a warning of flash floods for Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Trang as the strong monsoon continued to unleash heavy rain. It urged residents to remain on alert. The department said the southwest monsoon over the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand would continue to unleash heavy rain in many parts of the country, especially the seven southern coastal provinces. It said 80 per cent of the area on the western coast would be hit by rain compared with 60 per cent on the eastern coast, while 60 per cent of Bangkok could expect rain. http://nationmultimedia.com/2007/08/21/national/national_30045906.php .......................................................... Directory: cpi -> briefs briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news Download 296.47 Kb. Share with your friends:
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