The Guangxi Zhuang autonomous¹ region has the dirtiest rivers and lakes while Shandong province spewed the highest amount of sulfur² dioxide (SO2).

The Tibet autonomous region remains³ the country's most pollution-free place, with no industrial pollutants⁴ and with negligible levels of air and water pollution.

These are some of last year’s findings that the country's top environmental watchdog released yesterday.

The Ministry⁵ of Environmental Protection said Guangxi's industrial pollution has not only made its rivers and lakes filthy⁶, but has also raised its chemical oxygen demand (COD⁷), a water pollution measurement, to the highest at 1.06 million tons.

Thanks to the high concentration of thermal⁸ power plants, Shandong emitted more than 1.8 million tons of SO2, making its skies the most choked in the country.

As the Olympic Games host city, Beijing has reduced its pollution level after years of efforts.Its SO2 emission⁹ and COD have both been reduced.

The ministry has blacklisted several cities and power plants for their sluggish¹⁰ and ineffective actions to achieve the central government's green target of cutting major pollutants by 20 percent from 2006 to 2010.

Yingtan in Jiangxi, Sanya in Hainan, Hechi in Guangxi and Yuxi in Yunnan have been criticized for poor wastewater treatment, and are penalized¹¹ by having their approvals of new city projects suspended.

Seven thermal power plants, some of which are branches of the five big power generating groups such as Datang, Guodian and Huadian, have performed below par¹² on SO2 emission control.

The ministry will impose heavy fines on the power plants not fulfilling their commitments and urge them to improve their SO2 reducing technology.

Last year, the power industry cut SO2 emissions¹³ by 9 percent, while the big five power groups reduced it by 13 percent.

In July 2007, the central government set up an accountability system that ties officials' careers to their performance in environmental protection and energy efficiency.

Questions:

1. What is China’s most pollution-free area?

2. By what percentage did the central government aim to cut major pollutants from 2006 to 2010?

3. How have some areas with poor wastewater treatment been penalized?

Answers:

1. The Tibet autonomous region.

2. 20 percent.

3. Approvals of their new city projects have been suspended.