China Misses All Targets On Water, Air Pollution, Conditions Worsen - AFP

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China has failed to control water and air pollution, with the problems worsening, according to a report from the country's top legislature, state media said Sunday. Air pollution control goals set by the government were not only being missed, but air quality deteriorated, said the report released over the weekend by the National People's Congress, according to the Beijing Morning Post.
Sulfur dioxide discharges -- usually from coal-burning power stations -- amounted to 25.5 million tons last year, a 27 percent increase from 2000, making China the world's biggest sulfur dioxide polluter, according to the study.

Coking plants, another culprit, were routinely violating national emissions standards, with nearly all of the 680 plants in China's coal mining region Shanxi guilty of excessive discharge, the study said.

This has contributed to one-third of China's landmass being bathed in acid rain last year, posing problems to soil and food safety, the Xinhua news agency cited the report as saying. Of 696 counties surveyed, half suffered from a serious acid rain problem, with rainfall in some areas being 100 percent acid rain, it said.

Meanwhile, water pollution control tasks set by the government for 2001-2005 also have not been fulfilled, with waste water discharged reaching 52.4 billion tons in 2005, a 26 percent increase from 2000, Xinhua cited Sheng Huaren, vice chairman of the legislature's standing committee, saying.

EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/China_Making_Little_Progress_On_Pollution_Legislature_999.html