North China's Shanxi province recently launched a special campaign to fight pollution with heavy penalties starting April 1 and lasting until May 30, according to the province's environmental protection department on April 7.

The two-month action, which is a joint effort by all environmental protection authorities in Shanxi, will focus on cracking down on illegal emissions in State-controlled and province-controlled enterprises in some heavy industries and the treatment of their hazardous wastes and heavy metal pollution.

Environmental protection authorities at all levels in Shanxi will carry out all measures, such as surprise inspections as well as open and secret investigations, to ensure implementation of environmental regulations and penalties on environmental violations.

The provincial environment watchdog will supervise the implementation of the campaign in all the cities in Shanxi. It urges harsh punishment for those enterprises with excessive emissions or operating without proper environmental protection facilities. They are to be terminated or suspended for correction.

The enterprises that discharge toxic and harmful wastes to sources of drinking water and natural reserves will be detained or closed down. Those offenders will have to face judicial punishments.