Four employees of a wastewater treatment plant in Zhejiang’s eastern province were arrested for manipulating effluent data and submitting it to local authorities. This was as the central government is trying to strengthen its pollution oversight.
Changxing Xintiandi Environmental Protection Technology Ltd. employees were accused of reducing wastewater discharge by adding chemical oxygen requirement (COD), remover to polluted water sampling point, Ministry of Ecology and Environment Tuesday. COD is an important water quality measure that helps to assess the effect of sewage on the environment.
According to the ministry, the Huzhou-based company is suspected in polluting the environment by manipulating and falsifying the COD levels in its effluent. Changxing Xintiandi reportedly used a chemical removal agent that contained sodium chloride. This masks COD levels and does not effectively treat the pollutants.
China has increased its efforts over the years in cracking down on environmental falsification and busting cheat companies. Authorities made a number of arrests between January and October 2013. RecordedIt has detected 270 data manipulation cases and is fining violators with a total of 49 million yuan ($7.7million).
China has set itself ambitious climate goals, including carbon neutrality and peak carbon emissions by 2030. Environmental authorities are also working hard to meet these goals. plug gapsMonitoring carbon emissions and air pollutants in key industrial sector sectors. Companies found to have violated environmental laws or manipulated pollution data could face severe penalties, including heavy fines and even complete business shut down.
Editor: Bibek Bhandari.
(Header image by People Visual)