China is planning to tighten its belt on environmental protection based on new draft laws against polluters, particularly in the mining sector, published by the Ministry of Environmental Protection last week.

According to the draft rules posted on the ministry's website, although China's mining sector has experienced rapid development over the last 30 years, poor regulation and weak enforcement of policy have left many of the country's soil, land, and water supplies contaminated and unsuitable for human contact.

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Under the new draft rules, miners will be obliged to treat over 85 percent of their wastewater. Furthermore, they must come up with a system to achieve "comprehensive utilization" of tailings and solid waste, Reuters reported.

Mining companies, on the other hand, will be responsible for remediating the land and minimizing emissions while mines are in operation instead of treating the soil and water after they have been contaminated. They are also obliged to protect and relocate important ecosystems.

Meanwhile, companies that use toxic heavy metals such as lead and cadmium will be forced to utilize biological and chemical technologies to treat contaminated soils. Other metals (such as copper, lead, tin, and rare earth) and minerals (like calcium carbonate) are also included.

Government officials, as well as state-owned companies, have been requested to submit their opinions about the draft rules before August 25, according to Reuters.

Based on the 2015 data of the environment ministry, about 16 percent of the soil in China exceeds state pollution limits, and 3.3 million hectares of farmlands are unfit for farming. Earlier this year, China issued an action plan to treat soil pollution. The country plans to contain the problem by 2020.

Tagschina, Ministry of Environmental Protection, farmlands, Farming, mining sector, mining pollution