Chinese province to reward pollution whistle-blowers

The smog-prone northern Chinese province of Hebei will reward whistle-blowers with cash payments of up to ¥100,000 (R243,848) if they report incidents of pollution to the authorities, the local environmental watchdog said on Tuesday.

Hebei, which produces a quarter of China’s steel, has long been on the front line of a nationwide “war on pollution”, launched in 2014 to reverse environmental damage done by more than 30 years of breakneck industrial growth.

The province has closed down steel mills and chemical plants, converted thousands of household heating systems from coal to natural gas and imposed tough new fuel and air quality standards, though its major cities have remained among the country’s most polluted.

The new reward system was designed to “encourage the public to actively participate” in the cleanup campaign and will come into effect on September 1, the Hebei Provincial Ecology and Environment Bureau said.

The highest payout would be granted to whistle-blowers who expose the dumping of waste containing radioactive, infectious or poisonous materials, as well as those who uncover deliberate attempts by polluters to evade detection.

Rewards of up to ¥50,000 (R121,924) would be given to those who uncover the illegal dumping of toxic heavy metals, it said.

Hebei’s air quality has improved significantly since 2014, with average concentrations of lung-damaging airborne particles known as PM2.5 falling 13% on the year to 47 micrograms/m³ in the first seven months of 2020.

The province, which surrounds the capital Beijing, also managed to meet China’s interim national standard of 35 micrograms from April to July, according to official data.

However, it remained the location of five of China’s 10 smoggiest cities from January to July, with the top steel producing city of Tangshan ranking worst. — Reuters