THE environmental protection watchdog in Dapeng New Area on May 23 imposed an administrative penalty on a company in a local industrial park for polluting a nearby river. The company is facing a fine of 500,000 yuan (US$72,295), sznews.com reported.

It was the first penalty issued by the Dapeng New Area Ecology Environment Bureau since its official inauguration.

The bureau received tip-offs from local residents that water pollution was found in a tributary of the Yanghe River in Dapeng last month. The residents said they suspected that someone was illegally discharging untreated industrial wastewater into the river.

Law enforcement officers with the bureau inspected the river after receiving the information and tracked the wastewater along the river to its source. A company was found illegally discharging the untreated wastewater that had been used to cleanse laboratory containers and tubes into a rain gutter, causing pollution to the river.

The company was urged to stop discharging polluted water at the spot and later the bureau issued the administrative penalty.

Located at the east end of Shenzhen, the Dapeng Peninsula is home to rich natural resources and known as an educational base for promoting geological, ecological and landscape knowledge. However, the ecological environment in Dapeng has become more vulnerable in recent years, which has led the environment authority to strengthen supervision over illegal acts that undermine the environment.

The new area has issued eight tickets on environment violations with fines added up to 1.48 million yuan so far this year . The authority pledges to adhere to a “zero tolerance” policy against such violations. (Zhang Qian)