The Baoshan District Environmental Protection Bureau yesterday introduced a cutting-edge air quality monitoring apparatus that targets one of the three most- polluted industrial areas in town.
Officials with the bureau said better equipment helps in the collection of evidence and keeps track of factories illegally discharging pollutants into the air.
With an investment of 1.8 million yuan (US$216,867), the domestically designed and built equipment is said to be the most advanced in use in the country. It can measure and analyze more than 20 types of pollutants at the same time.
Thirty-two chemical plants that have received numerous complaints from neighboring residents were monitored yesterday. The results will be released in two days.
"Without high-tech tools, it has been difficult to protect the environment," said Zhao Xiaohuai, an official with the bureau.
"We have heard many complaints from residents about irritating odors. Our staff also noticed it when investigating the site, but we cannot impose any penalty on the polluter due to a lack of substantial evidence," he added.
The new equipment is also part of the district's endeavor to establish an automatic instant air quality monitoring system by next year.
Zhang Long, an official with the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau, agreed that insufficient environment monitoring facilities remain a problem.
He said that Wusong Industrial Zone in Baoshan is a base for heavy industries and produces the largest proportion of industrial pollution in the city.