China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection has sent 18 inspection teams, led by the Ministry’s top officials and staffed by a mix of its own personnel and staff from local governments, to inspect air quality on the spot in Beijing, Tianjin and 16 other northern cities plagued by smog.
A Ministry official told the media that the inspections will center on, among others, whether Party committees, governments and relevant departments have done their part, and how the emergency plans in response to instances of heavy pollution are formulated and implemented.
The same official noted that for cities where progress on air pollution control is lagging behind and which have high air pollution levels, officials in charge will be publicly interviewed and held accountable.
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