State-level team keeps eye on Hebei pollution

Monitors to cover all provincial-level areas every two years, report says

A State-level supervision team arrived in Hebei province on Monday for a month long inspection of the province's efforts to protect the environment, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The team was formed in September and is led by Zhou Jian, a former deputy minister.

The team will urge the provincial and city governments to carry out anti-pollution measures and help handle problems involving air pollution.

Government leaders will be punished if they can't finish their environmental-protection tasks or are involved in related misconduct on the job.

During the supervision period, which will end on Feb 4, residents in Hebei can use a telephone or e-mail to report any incidents of air pollution.

Central authorities plan to inspect every provincial-level area in China every two years, China Environment News reported last month.

There are five environmental protection supervision centers administrated by the ministry, which are responsible for supervising regional-level environmental protection work in the nation's five regions.

"The centers mainly supervise cities' environmental protection work, while the State-level supervision team mainly watches provincial-level governments and leaders' work," an insider said.

Hebei is known for its severe air pollution. Seven of 11 cities in the province-Baoding, Xingtai, Tangshan, Hengshui, Handan, Shijiazhuang and Langfang - have ranked among the top 10 worst-polluted cities in China in recent years.

Residents in the province have suffered from intermittent severe smog since November.

"Blue sky and sunshine are now the most luxurious things for us," said Zhang Ning, a teacher in the capital Shijiazhuang.

"Governments are taking steps to curb air pollution, but the air is still bad," she said, adding that she hopes the supervision team could really help Hebei improve air quality.

To control air pollution, the province has made a series of moves, including cutting excessive capacity in iron and steel, cement, and plate glass, as well as temporarily limiting vehicles on the road and closing factories on heavily polluted days.