Two ministries have jointly issued the “Action Plan for the Tough Battle to Protect and Restore the Yangtze River”! This article outlines the tasks for chemical enterprises.

Release Date:

2019-01-31

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the National Development and Reform Commission recently jointly issued the “Action Plan for the Tough Battle on Yangtze River Protection and Restoration,” emphasizing the coordinated control of pollution from four major sources: industry, agriculture, domestic life, and shipping. The action plan calls for strengthening industrial pollution control and effectively mitigating ecological and environmental risks. With respect to the chemical industry, the key tasks include: In terms of optimizing industrial structure and spatial layout, the plan mandates accelerating the relocation, upgrading, or closure of heavily polluting enterprises, and strictly prohibiting the transfer of polluting industries and enterprises to the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River. No new chemical industrial parks are permitted within one kilometer of the banks of the Yangtze mainstream and its major tributaries, and illegally established or non-compliant industrial parks must be phased out and shut down in accordance with the law. Along the Yangtze mainstream…

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the National Development and Reform Commission recently jointly issued the Action Plan for the Tough Battle to Protect and Restore the Yangtze River, emphasizing the coordinated control of pollution from four major sources: industry, agriculture, domestic life, and shipping.

The action plan proposes strengthening industrial pollution control and effectively mitigating ecological and environmental risks. The key tasks pertaining to the chemical industry are as follows:

In terms of optimizing the industrial structure and spatial layout, The action plan calls for accelerating the relocation, upgrading, or closure and exit of heavily polluting enterprises. It is strictly prohibited to transfer polluting industries and enterprises to the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River. 。 No new chemical industrial parks shall be approved within 1 kilometer of the banks of the Yangtze River’s main stem and its major tributaries, and illegally established or non-compliant industrial parks shall be shut down in accordance with the law. Focusing on the mainstream of the Yangtze River, its major tributaries, and key lakes and reservoirs, a comprehensive overhaul of water‑related “scattered, chaotic, and polluting” enterprises will be carried out. Measures such as closure and prohibition, consolidation and relocation, and upgrading and transformation will be implemented on a case-by-case basis, and outdated production capacities that contribute to pollution will be phased out in accordance with the law.

In terms of standardizing environmental management in industrial parks : In principle, all newly established industrial enterprises should be located within industrial parks and comply with relevant planning and the park’s designated functions; existing… Enterprises in heavily polluting industries must relocate to industry‑aligned industrial parks within a specified timeframe. Industrial parks shall, in accordance with regulations, establish centralized wastewater treatment facilities that operate stably and meet discharge standards, and shall prohibit illegal or unregulated discharges. Efforts to upgrade existing industrial parks shall be intensified, with improvements to pollution‑control infrastructure and implementation of stormwater–sewage separation upgrades. An assessment shall be conducted to evaluate the impact of treating park‑generated industrial wastewater at municipal domestic wastewater treatment plants on effluent quality; where such treatment fails to ensure stable compliance, the relevant facilities must be phased out within a specified timeframe and relocated to dedicated treatment systems. In accordance with the law, production projects within the parks that do not align with industrial policies and cause severe environmental pollution shall be rectified. By the end of 2020, industrial parks (industrial clusters) within national-level development zones will have completed centralized remediation and compliance upgrades.

Strengthening compliance with emission standards by industrial enterprises ： Develop specific remediation plans for ten key industries, including papermaking, coking, nitrogen fertilizer production, nonferrous metals, textile dyeing and printing, agricultural and sideline food processing, bulk pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing, leather tanning, pesticide production, and electroplating. , promote full compliance with emission standards across industrial enterprises. Further advance the pollutant discharge permit system, and by the end of 2020, complete the issuance of discharge permits covering all stationary pollution sources.

In advancing the comprehensive remediation of “three phosphorus” industries, , organized Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Hunan, Chongqing, and other provinces and municipalities to carry out the “Three Phosphorus” initiative (namely, phosphate rock, phosphate fertilizers, and… Phosphorus-containing pesticide manufacturing A special inspection and remediation campaign has been launched targeting phosphate chemical enterprises and phosphogypsum storage facilities. For phosphate mining, the focus is on inspecting the treatment, reuse, and monitoring of mine‑water and other wastewater; for the phosphate chemical industry, the emphasis is on the collection and treatment of initial rainwater and phosphorus‑containing pesticide mother liquors, as well as on phosphorus recovery in the phosphoric acid production process; and for phosphogypsum storage facilities, the priority is to assess compliance with standardized management practices and the status of comprehensive utilization. In the first half of 2019, the relevant provinces and municipalities completed the inspections, formulated time‑bound rectification plans, and implemented corrective measures. By the end of 2020, follow‑up inspections, oversight, and evaluations will be conducted to review the progress of these efforts.

The action plan proposes to deepen environmental risk assessments for key enterprises along the river—covering petrochemicals, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, dyeing and printing, synthetic fibers, hazardous chemicals, petroleum storage facilities, as well as those involving heavy metals and hazardous waste—and to mandate remediation of identified risks within specified timeframes. Additionally, surveys will be conducted on major tributaries to establish a comprehensive inventory of tailings ponds, with targeted remediation efforts implemented on a case-by-case basis for each facility.

Strengthening ship pollution prevention and control, as well as risk management. : It is required to promptly establish mandatory regulations for the cleaning of cargo tanks on chemical‑carrying vessels, thereby promoting compliant treatment of tank‑cleaning wastewater. Strengthen environmental risk prevention measures for the transport of hazardous chemicals by water along the Yangtze River mainstream and its major tributaries, and rigorously crack down on illegal inland waterway transportation of hazardous chemicals, as well as illicit transshipment and disposal of oily wastewater, chemical tank‑cleaning water, and other related wastes. By the end of 2020, single-hull chemical tankers and single-hull oil tankers with a deadweight tonnage of 600 tons or more are strictly prohibited from entering the main stem of the Yangtze River. , the high-grade waterway network including the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal and the Yangtze River Delta, as well as the Wujiang, Xiangjiang, Yuanjiang, Ganjiang, Xinjiang, Heyu Waterway, and the Jianghan Canal.

Scope of key areas. Within the coverage of the Yangtze River Economic Belt… Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou Within the jurisdictions of 11 provinces and municipalities (hereinafter referred to as the “11 Yangtze River‑related provinces and municipalities”), conservation and restoration efforts will be prioritized along the Yangtze River’s main stem, its major tributaries, and key lakes and reservoirs. The main stem of the Yangtze River refers primarily to the section from Yibin City in Sichuan Province to its estuary; its major tributaries include the Minjiang, Tuojiang, Chishui River, Jialing River, Wujiang, Qingjiang, Xiangjiang, Hanjiang, and Ganjiang rivers; and its key lakes and reservoirs comprise Dongting Lake, Poyang Lake, Chaohu Lake, Taihu Lake, Dianchi Lake, Danjiangkou Reservoir, Erhai Lake, and others.

For the full text of the “Action Plan for the Tough Battle on Yangtze River Protection and Restoration,” please click the link below: www.mee.gov.cn/xxgk2018/xxgk/xxgk03/201901/t20190125_690887.html

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