On Feb 1st 2016, the People’s Congress of Hubei Province passed the Regulation of Prevention and Treatment of Soil Pollution. The regulation is the first local regulation on soil protection and will take effect from Oct 1st 2016.
The regulation consists of eight chapters, including the prevention of soil pollution, the treatment of soil pollution, the supervision of the prevention and treatment, the information transparency etc. This regulation’s review process lasted longer than any other regulations in the history of Hubei Province and has been reviewed more times than any other.
The key point of this regulation is the prevention of soil pollution. Scientific research indicates that biodegradation of soil pollutants can take up to one thousand years. So the prevention of soil pollution is much important than the treatment of the polluted soil. The regulation specifies the protection standards, environmental evaluation and other aspects regarding pollution prevention. The prevention and protection are categorized based on the use of the land, such as agricultural land, resident land, commercial land etc.
To ensure the regulation is carried out thoroughly, the heads of local governments are designated to be the first responsible persons. The soil quality in their administrative areas will be directly connected with their performance reviews. Also, the regulation welcomes public monitoring and reporting of any government or industry activities that pose a risk to soil.
