China Water: June 14, 2008: Shanghai talks to factories about pollution.

The question of pollution legislation in China, in my humble opinion, is really one of enforcement. Laws in China and much of Asia are not enforced with the same attempt at uniformity that we in the west expect to see. (When watching police in Asia, one sometimes gets the impression that, by Western standards, they either under-reat or over-react.)

Here we see, as fits this alleged pattern, the Shanghai authorities discuss pollution standards with factories in Shanghai.

Peter Huston
===

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2008/200806/20080614/article_363173.htm


Factories told to clean up act

By Dong Hui | 2008-6-14 | NEWSPAPER EDITION


THE city's top advisers are pushing suburban factories to improve their environmental standards to ease tension with nearby residents - some of whom live just 4 meters away.

The move came after members of the Shanghai Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference kicked off a three-day inspection on the city's polluting factories yesterday.

The city government has received 1,320 letters and calls from suburban residents complaining of severe environmental pollution from surrounding factories.

Many factories relocated their production lines to suburban districts such as Baoshan, Minhang and Jiading years ago.

One business, Shanghai COSCO Kawasaki Heavy Industries Steel Structure Co Ltd, a China-Japan steel manufacturer, has been the subject of numerous complaints over the past three years.

Residents said that noise from the factories was too loud at night, with some factory walls standing only 4 meters from residential complexes.

The Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau previously ran environmental evaluations on site, ruling that the distance from homes should be at least 40 meters.

However, the rule was not effectively implemented.

Shen Jianhua, a committee member, advised factories to establish closed plants or reduce the noise.

The suggestion was echoed by officials with the Baoshan District Environmental Protection Bureau.

"We'll urge enterprises to adjust more production schedules to daytime, and move some noisy and dusty operations to places far from residential complexes," said the official, who refused to be named.

Other complaints cover Sheshan Industry Park in Songjiang District, where Shanghai Taideli Drink Co Ltd and Shanghai Jingtou Chemical Co Ltd are accused of emitting waste water in a nearby river.