Joint Notice Issued by Eight Departments Regarding Issues such as Sewage Pollution in Industrial Parks

Recently, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, in conjunction with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Supreme People's Court, and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, issued the "Notice on Further Strengthening the Prevention of Industrial Wastewater Pollution Risks to Ensure the Safety of Agricultural Irrigation Water." In accordance with the relevant provisions of the "Action Plan for the Protection and Management of Water Bodies Around the Public," this "Notice" serves as a supporting system document that adheres to a problem-oriented and systematic governance approach. It addresses prominent issues such as the unreasonable spatial layout of industrial enterprises and parks, insufficient requirements for controlling wastewater discharge, and an inadequate mechanism for ensuring the quality of water used for agricultural irrigation. Specific measures have been clarified in four areas: optimizing spatial layout, strengthening wastewater discharge control, enhancing the quality assurance of agricultural irrigation water, and improving environmental law enforcement and training. The "Notice" specifies that in aspects such as land spatial planning control, ecological environmental zoning control, and environmental impact assessment of construction projects, further regulations will be established for projects in areas with higher risks, such as the vicinity of farmland and karst landforms, as well as for projects characterized by the discharge of total salinity, heavy metals, and toxic and harmful pollutants, to strictly guard against environmental risks brought about by the relocation of chemical parks.