[Source: Guangdong Provincial People's Government_Law Enforcement and Supervision]
From July 29 this year, the second round of the fourth batch of provincial ecological environment protection inspections was launched one after another, and five provincial inspection teams were stationed in Shenzhen, Shaoguan, Shanwei, Zhaoqing and Yunfu respectively. In order to strengthen warning and deterrence and promote problem rectification, on August 7, the Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment publicly reported five typical cases, mainly involving urban construction waste treatment and disposal, small hydropower classification rectification, water environment infrastructure construction and national test section water quality standards, forest park protection, urban domestic sewage collection and treatment, etc. The inspection team will further investigate and verify, and urge all localities to investigate and deal with them in accordance with regulations, disciplines and laws.
Contradictions in the disposal of construction waste
The provincial first ecological and environmental protection inspection team inspected Shenzhen and found that some local areas lacked plans for the prevention and control of environmental pollution caused by construction waste, the entire process was not properly supervised, cross-regional illegal and irregular disposal problems occurred frequently, and there were great risks of environmental pollution.
In recent years, Shenzhen has generated a large amount of construction waste, with an average of more than 80 million cubic meters per year. The local government attaches great importance to the disposal of construction waste and continuously improves the ability to reduce it at the source and recycle it. However, the inspection found that the construction progress of some local planned disposal sites was lagging behind, the treatment capacity was insufficient, and the contradictions in the disposal of construction waste were prominent.
In terms of the planning and construction of disposal sites, none of the 11 districts in the city, except Guangming and Nanshan, have issued plans for the prevention and control of environmental pollution caused by construction waste. Although the city has issued a special plan for the management of construction waste, the construction of relevant disposal sites is obviously lagging behind.
At the same time, the full-process management system is not fully implemented. Although Shenzhen has issued construction waste management measures, launched a smart supervision system, and implemented an electronic joint form management system for construction waste disposal, some places still have problems such as the full-process management system not being fully implemented, illegal disposal, and ecological damage.
In addition, cross-regional illegal dumping occurs from time to time. More than half of the construction waste generated in Shenzhen in the past three years needs to be transported out for disposal, and the external dependence is relatively high. Since 2021, there have been more than 500 cases of illegal transfer and dumping of construction waste to surrounding cities.
Delayed rectification of small hydropower projects affects river ecology
The provincial second ecological and environmental protection inspection team inspected Shaoguan and found that the withdrawal of small hydropower in Ruyuan Yao Autonomous County was not effectively promoted, the supervision of ecological flow discharge was not in place, and some rivers had prominent water reduction and flow interruption phenomena, affecting the health of the river ecosystem.
It is reported that there are 195 small hydropower stations in Ruyuan that are listed for withdrawal, of which 61 are part of the second round of rectification tasks for the central ecological environment protection inspection and 141 are part of the creation of the Lingnan National Park. The task of classified rectification of small hydropower stations is arduous.
The local small hydropower withdrawal is slow. Among the 11 withdrawal tasks in the first phase that should be completed by the end of June 2023, some have not signed compensation agreements or have not implemented the withdrawal standards. Among the 125 withdrawal tasks in the second phase that should be completed by the end of 2025, the number of withdrawals is currently zero.
At the same time, local ecological flow supervision is not in place. The inspection team randomly checked 15 power stations with ecological flow discharge tasks, of which 8 had problems. Some ecological flow discharge gates were closed, and some deliberately blocked the discharge outlets. From 2023 to the end of June 2024, Ruyuan inspected 585 small hydropower stations for ecological flow, but only filed 6 cases for investigation and punishment, and no effective supervision was formed.
In addition, the connectivity of some rivers is blocked. As the release of ecological flow cannot meet the requirements of stability and fullness, some rivers have experienced water reduction and dehydration, and the downstream rivers are still dry during the flood season, affecting the ecological environment of the river and the water safety of surrounding residents.
Shortcomings in treatment facilities affect water quality
The provincial third ecological environment protection inspection team inspected Shanwei and found that the black and odorous water bodies in Lufeng were not effectively investigated and treated, the problem of direct discharge of domestic sewage was prominent, and the situation of stable water quality meeting the national examination sections was grim.
In recent years, Lufeng has not paid enough attention to water pollution control and has not shown strong urgency. Water environment infrastructure projects have been slow to advance. Sewage treatment capacity in some areas is insufficient, and domestic sewage overflow problems are frequent. The water quality of the two national test sections of Dongxi Sluice and Wukan Sluice in the region is not stable enough. In the first half of 2024, the average water quality of the Wukan section in some months dropped from Class II to Class IV; the average water quality of the Dongxi Sluice dropped from Class III to Class IV.
The inspection found that the problem of direct sewage discharge in Jieshi Town, Jiazi Town, Donghai Street and other areas in Lufeng was prominent. Among them, the ammonia nitrogen concentration of sewage discharged from the sewage outlet near Yecheng Mechanical and Electrical on Binhai Road in Jieshi Town exceeded the surface water Class V standard by 8.5 times; more than 1,000 tons of domestic sewage was directly discharged into the sea every day on Yanjiang Road in Jiazi Town; sewage from Beidi Road in Donghai Street directly entered the Donghe River, and the ammonia nitrogen concentration exceeded the surface water Class V standard by 6.2 times.
At the same time, the construction of water environment infrastructure is seriously lagging behind. The first phase of the Lufeng Second Sewage Treatment Plant, which was originally scheduled to be completed by the end of 2020, has been delayed again and again and is still under construction. There are still 12 towns in the city that have not built domestic sewage treatment facilities, and the sewage treatment plants in Tanxi Town and Shangying Town have been "under the sun" for a long time after they were built.
In addition, water pollution is a prominent problem. Due to the long-term low operating efficiency of some urban sewage treatment facilities in the basin and the failure to effectively treat domestic sewage in some rural areas, the water quality of some national test sections is in a serious situation. In the first half of 2024, 22 of the 25 tributaries in the Dongxi River Basin had water quality of Class IV or above. The treatment of black and smelly water bodies is not strict and effective. There are 3 black and smelly water bodies on the west side of Donghai Avenue alone, of which 3 are slightly black and smelly and 1 is severely black and smelly.
Illegal mining rights damage forest parks
The Provincial Fourth Ecological and Environmental Protection Inspection Team inspected Zhaoqing and found that the relevant local departments and Gaoyao District handled the mining rights registration in violation of regulations, and adjusted the business scope of the forest park instead of mine cleanup, and there were prominent problems in production and operation activities.
The county-level Xiangshan Forest Park in Gaoyao District was established on October 28, 1999 with the approval of the former Gaoyao Forestry Bureau. It is an urban forest park that mainly protects warm coniferous forests, evergreen broad-leaved forests, subtropical bamboo forests and other rare wild animals and plants. The inspection found that the relevant departments handled the mining license procedures in violation of regulations, and there were problems with illegal mining in Xiangshan Forest Park, and the problems of planting and breeding in the park were prominent.
The relevant departments of Gaoyao District illegally handled the renewal procedures for mining rights. Since 2003, they have illegally handled the approval procedures for the use of forest land for four mining projects in Xiangshan Forest Park, causing serious ecological damage and adverse social impacts. In October 2022, the above four mining areas were included in the ecological protection red line, but the relevant departments still renewed the mining licenses for the relevant projects. It was not until February 4, 2024 that the Zhaoqing Ecological Environment Protection Committee Office issued a reminder letter, and the relevant departments issued a suspension notice in March.
At the same time, the forest park gave way to the development of mineral projects by adjusting instead of reforming. In 2018, the relevant provincial documents required a comprehensive inventory of various mineral resource development projects in the forest park, but Gaoyao District failed to implement it. In February 2022, it applied to transfer the relevant projects out of the forest park in the name of urban built-up areas. The inspection team conducted on-site inspections of the mining area and found that many mining sites had been mined for a long time, ecological restoration was not in place, large areas of loess were exposed, slag was piled in the open air, and spray water was not collected and discharged directly into the mountain pond.
In addition, there is a lack of supervision, and illegal planting and breeding are prominent. Xiangshan Forest Park has not formulated a forest park master plan. There are many illegal breeding and planting production and business activities in the park. The aquaculture tail water is directly discharged into the mountain pond without treatment, and the forest vegetation is damaged.
Treatment facilities are in arrears and there is a risk of excess water pollution
The fifth provincial ecological and environmental protection inspection team inspected Yunfu and found that Luoding’s urban domestic sewage collection and treatment facilities had a long history of deficiencies and low operating efficiency, and the regional water environment was at risk of pollution.
Luoding River is a first-level tributary of Xijiang River. It flows through Luoding urban area and 11 towns before merging into Xijiang River through Nanjiangkou. Luoding is the most populous county-level city in Yunfu. 96.5% of its area is located in the Luoding River basin. The construction and operation of regional water environment infrastructure have an important impact on the water environment governance of Luoding River and even Xijiang River. The inspection found that the local government did not pay enough attention to improving the efficiency of domestic sewage collection and treatment, and problems such as direct sewage discharge and black and smelly rivers and streams still exist.
The construction of local sewage collection and treatment facilities has not been promoted effectively, and the problem of direct sewage discharge is prominent. The construction of Luoding No. 4 domestic sewage treatment plant, Luoding Sulong Street sewage treatment plant and supporting pipelines has lagged behind, and there are 6 discharge outlets in the town, with direct sewage discharge reaching thousands of tons per day. Among them, the discharge outlet near the intersection of Yanjiang 3rd Road and Nanjiang Street in the urban area discharges about 200 tons of sewage into Luoding River every day, and its chemical oxygen demand and ammonia nitrogen exceed the surface water Class III standard by 6.4 times and 31.9 times respectively; the discharge outlet near the Lianzhou Town Finance Office discharges about 300 tons of sewage every day, which flows into Luoding River through Lianzhou River, and its chemical oxygen demand and ammonia nitrogen exceed the surface water Class III standard by 6 times and 28.4 times respectively.
At the same time, the plant-network matching is not perfect, and the sewage treatment facilities are built but not used or have low efficiency. Some town-level domestic sewage treatment facilities have been "exposed to the sun" for a long time. Among the 17 towns in the city, the sewage treatment facilities of seven towns, including Tang Town, Longwan Town, Lishao Town, Fenjie Town, Jiayi Town, Taiping Town, and Lianzhou Town, have only completed the main project and main network, and the supporting pipeline network is insufficient. The operating efficiency of some sewage treatment facilities is low. From January 2023 to June 2024, the average water inflow load of Luoding Third Domestic Sewage Treatment Plant and Chuanbu Town and Silun Town sewage treatment facilities was only 40.7%, 15%, and 17.9%, respectively.
In addition, the management of key rivers and streams in the urban area lacks systematicness, and the work of remediation is progressing slowly. During the central environmental protection inspection, the public complained many times about the black and smelly water in Wuliqiao River, but Luoding did not systematically carry out comprehensive remediation of the left and right banks and tributaries, and the sewage interception work in the river was still not in place, resulting in no obvious improvement in the water quality of the river, which aroused strong public complaints.