China will inspect large and medium-sized enterprises along its rivers for environmental safety, in the wake of the Songhua River benzene leak disaster.
The State Environmental Protection Administration announced the inspection yesterday.
"Big or medium-sized enterprises located along major rivers or their tributaries, especially the chemical plants at the upper reaches of drinking water sources, are major inspection spots," said an emergency circular issued by SEPA.
It requires that inspection teams sent to 10 provinces should wrap up their work by the end of January.
The circular came after the toxic benzene spill into Songhua River caused by a chemical plant explosion in north China's Jilin Province at a plant operated by the China National Offshore Oil Corp.
SEPA's director Xie Zhenghua resigned last Friday, becoming the highest-ranking official removed from office for an environmental disaster.
On Monday, SEPA reported four recent environmental accidents in a bulletin shortly after they occurred. The four accidents, all chemically contaminating the surroundings, were immediately handled and no human deaths were reported. Other impacts were not reported.
The order issued yesterday required local governments to frame an environmental emergency response plan by the end of this year. They should shut down plants with excessive drainage and factories failing to improve environmental safety conditions, it said.
Also yesterday, the benzene slick on the Songhua River arrived at the urban areas of Jiamusi, a northern city at the lower reaches of the river in Heilongjiang Province.
(Xinhua)