Two environmental protection officers check the level of sulfur dioxide emissions at a heat-supply plant in Beijing, Nov 18, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Weak implementation

Similar neglect and weak implementation of anti-pollution measures were also exposed in other provinces. For example, in 2007, the Yunnan provincial government published the Regulation on the Protection of Fuxian Lake, a well-known beauty spot.

However, despite the guidelines, a large number of illegal buildings such as hotels, apartments and villas with a combined floor area of 140,000 square meters, were constructed inside the protection zone. They were still on sale during the inspections.

Yang Chunming, deputy head of the Yunnan provincial environmental protection bureau, said the province established special teams to

solve problems immediately after receiving the inspectors' report.

"We have conducted a wide-ranging investigation into the illegal construction around Fuxian Lake," Yang said, adding that any other problems uncovered should be treated equally seriously.

Zhang Benxing, a 73-year-old resident of Guilin, a city in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, said local people had frequently reported illegal quarrying, which released high levels of dust into the area around the Lijiang River, a famous scenic spot, but the problem was not solved until the arrival of the central inspection team.

In the weeks that followed, 37 officials at the county and city levels were deemed responsible for the pollution caused by the illegal quarrying and for failing to prevent it.

In addition, other issues were highlighted, including the insufficient attention local governments paid to environmental protection and the excessive exploitation of natural resources.

According to the inspectors, some regions have experienced environmental degradation, such as declines in the quality of air, water and soil, pointing to areas where the provinces need to improve.

After the inspections, more than 6,400 government officials were held accountable for the poor quality of their anti-pollution work, resulting in punishments including suspensions, public criticism and lost promotions, according to the ministry.

"From the problems exposed by the inspectors, we can see that they played hard when they monitored local governments. That prompted policymakers to work harder to prevent pollution instead of focusing solely on economic growth," said Qin Tianbao, professor of environmental law at Wuhan University in Hubei province.

The performances of local governments have improved in the wake of the inspections, especially after officials witnessed the punishments meted out to their peers, so the irregular inspection mechanism needs to become a long-term measure, Qin said. "It would be better if there were laws to back up the inspections, " he added.

The central inspections were conducted in accordance with trial regulations released by the State Council in July.

Many areas - such as Henan province and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region - have now set up their own inspection and investigation teams to provide effective pollution control.

Chang Jiwen, deputy director of the Institute for Resources and Environment Policies at the State Council's development research center, a high-level think tank, said the large number of cases uncovered indicated that progress has been made. He urged the central inspection teams to focus more on the activities of members of provincial and city governments.

"Instead of punishing environmental officials at the grassroots level, the teams should focus on leading policymakers in the provinces who have a far greater influence on environmental policy," he said.