China's environment ministry has ordered cleanups at 20 chemical and petrochemical enterprises, including CNPC and units of Sinopec, after they were found to pose serious safety threats.
The State Environmental Protection Administration also decided to stop or postpone approval for projects at 44 sites with a total investment of 149.5 billion yuan (HK$144.88 billion) as their locations were considered unsafe.
"SEPA will be responsible for directing the rectification of the 20 projects that inspections found posed hidden environmental risks," the Beijing News reported Thursday.
SEPA's inspection of more than 100 sites comes months after an explosion at a chemical plant in the northeast poured benzene compounds into the Songhua River, poisoning the source of drinking water for millions.
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Twelve of the 20 projects inspectors found to pose hazards were along China's two main riverways, the Yellow and Yangtze, and had "serious hidden dangers," SEPA said.
The 20 plants will invest more than 1.6 billion yuan to improve environmental protection facilities, the China Daily quoted SEPA's deputy head Pan Yue as saying, but added such measures were only temporary solutions.
The government earlier reported that China has suffered 76 more water pollution accidents since the November spill into the Songhua River.
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