On May 19, 2022, the sixth meeting of the Central Leading Group for Ecological and Environmental Protection Supervision reviewed and approved the inspection report. With the approval of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, the inspection team will give feedback to the Party committee and government of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on June 2, 2022. Huang Longyun, the leader of the inspection team, reported the inspection report, Sun Shaocheng, the secretary of the Party Committee of the autonomous region, made a statement, and Wang Lixia, the chairman of the autonomous region, presided over the meeting. Lin Shanqing, Deputy Group Leader, relevant personnel of the Supervision Group, relevant leaders of the Party Committee and the government of the autonomous region, relevant departments and leading comrades of the Party and government of the various leagues and cities attended the meeting.

The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region regards safeguarding national ecological security as the first of the "five major political responsibilities", and has formulated 22 special plans, including the Plan for Building an Important Ecological Security Barrier in North China (2020 - 2035), the Plan for Ecological Protection and High Quality Development of the Yellow River Basin in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. 95 of the 99 governance projects identified in the "One Lake, Two Seas" and "13th Five Year Plan" have been completed. The water ecological environment is stable and improving. The groundwater level in Chahannur is gradually rising. The rectification task of Tumuji National Nature Reserve has been basically completed. The "water measurement" in the West Liaohe River basin has made initial progress, and the pollution control of Tengger Desert has been transferred to the long-term monitoring stage.

Actively promote green development transformation and ecological protection and restoration. Accelerate industrial transformation and upgrading, and eliminate backward and overcapacity. We will implement the action of doubling new energy and build 10 million kilowatt new energy bases in eastern and western Mongolia. We will focus on rectifying the "four disturbances" in the Yellow River. We will comprehensively control 14.11 million mu of water and soil loss and build a forest and grass ecosystem of 24.528 million mu. Strengthen the "three zones and three lines" hard constraint, and persistently promote desertification land control. The ecology of Maowusu sandy land has shown a regional improvement trend. The Kubuqi desert control provides "China experience" for global desertification control.

We will make every effort to fight against pollution. 2150 enterprises with "scattered pollution" were treated, clean heating transformation was implemented, and small coal-fired boilers were eliminated. In 2021, the PM2.5 concentration in the whole region was 23 micrograms/m3, a decrease of 34.3% compared with 2016. 134 sewage treatment plants in towns and parks will be built or renovated, 162 sewage outlets will be blocked and stopped discharging into rivers, and the proportion of excellent water bodies in the national examination section of the whole district will reach 65% in 2021. We made solid efforts to comprehensively improve the rural living environment, and the domestic sewage treatment rate in rural pastoral areas reached 19.7%.

The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region attached great importance to the supervision work, and implemented reform while supervising, which solved the ecological environment problems around a group of people. By the end of April 2022, 2829 reports from the masses assigned by the supervision team had been completed or 1841 reports had been completed in stages, 872 were ordered to rectify, 126 were punished, 45 were investigated, 73 were interviewed, and 72 were held accountable.

Some localities and departments lack a deep understanding of the new development concept, and the endogenous power to promote high-quality development is not strong. The protection of grassland and forest land makes way for mining and other development and construction. The Wula Mountain Range and the desert grassland in the northeast of Wulatqian Banner, Bayannur City are ecologically fragile, but there are still a large number of illegal mining activities. The 62 mining projects in Wulatqian Banner illegally occupied nearly 30000 mu of desert grassland, and the local government also violated the overall planning of mineral resources in the autonomous region by exploiting a large amount of ultra poor magnetite, causing serious ecological damage. By the end of 2021, more than 500 square kilometers of 1482 open pit mines in the autonomous region that are currently in effect need to be treated and repaired, and the Huzhubuqin Xile limestone mining area in Wuhai City has been closed for more than 10 years without treatment and repair.

"Two high" projects were launched in violation of regulations. Since 2018, there have been up to 42 "two high" projects constructed by the autonomous region without energy conservation review. Blind expansion of coking projects. In July 2020, the industry and information department of the autonomous region promoted the issuance of a document to cancel the total amount control and capacity replacement policies for coking projects. Within half a year, 26 coking projects were registered in eight leagues and cities, with a registered capacity of 108 million tons, nearly twice the existing capacity before the document was issued. When Wuhai, Alxa and other cities reported the renovation plan of coking projects, they reported some of the production capacities that were approved and filed more than ten years ago but did not actually start construction to be retained for further construction, or as indicators of replacement capacity, which were not strictly reviewed by the relevant departments, and agreed to retain some of the projects that should be cancelled for filing. In 2019, Alxa High tech Industrial Development Zone proposed to implement the promised access, making 19 energy use projects "built before approval".

Some departments failed to implement the responsibility for ecological environment protection. Since 2018, the natural resources department of the autonomous region has approved the establishment or continuation of 53 mining rights overlapping with the nature reserves. Seven mining areas in Chifeng Huanggang Mining and Keshiketeng Northwest Mining are nearly 25 square kilometers in total, all located in Huanggangliang National Forest Park. The water conservancy department of the autonomous region lacks effective supervision over the chaotic management of water intake permission. Since 2018, the actual groundwater exploitation in Qipanjing area of Ordos City has reached more than twice the reported amount.

In the first round of central ecological environmental protection supervision and "looking back" rectification tasks, some rectification quality was not high. Since October 2020, the wastewater treatment facilities of Hulunbeier Northern Pharmaceutical have been operating abnormally for a long time, and there have been dilution discharge, intermittent illegal discharge and other illegal acts.

Second, there is a gap in the ecological environment protection of the Yellow River basin.

The problem of illegal water intake and use is prominent. Sanshenggong Water Control Project has increased the water intake of the Yellow River without authorization for a long time, and the water conservancy department of Bayannur City has exceeded its authority to issue water intake permits for it. Baotou Shouchuang Water Affairs Company has used excessive water from the Yellow River for 12 consecutive years, and the municipal water conservancy department has approved the company to directly supply water to industrial enterprises in violation of regulations without authorization. Dongxing Chemical Co., Ltd. in Ulanqab City has been taking water illegally for a long time. In 2020, the local water conservancy department will split the project and lower the level of approval. The relevant enterprises in Guoneng Baotou Coal Chemical Industry, Ulanbuh and Ecological Sand Industry Demonstration Park of Alxa League have illegally taken water for a long time.

The water-saving work was not well promoted. Baotou City should build six renewable water use projects by the end of 2020, laying 226 kilometers of pipe network, and only three projects will be completed by the time of inspection, laying 28.6 kilometers of pipe network. Hohhot's "13th Five Year Plan" plans to build 90.7 km of reclaimed water pipe network, and only 49 km will be completed by 2021. The extensive use of water in Bayannur Irrigation District has brought challenges to the marine environment protection of Wuliangsu.

The problem of illegal encroachment on river courses is serious. The lower reaches of Wulanmulun River in Ordos City have been occupied by enterprises in violation of regulations for a long time. The local natural resources department knows that a mining right overlaps with the river, and will continue its mining license in November 2021. In 2017, Etuoke Banner changed the direction of Wuzhulingou River for the purpose of flood discharge, making way for mining development, and allowed enterprises to build 165000 cubic meters of reservoirs on the bank in violation of regulations to intercept water resources.

The situation of water environment pollution in some areas is severe. The tail end project of Baotou City is the largest sewage outfall in the city to discharge sewage into the Yellow River. Five of the 13 key projects planned and constructed have not been completed. The long-term excessive and excessive sewage discharge has made the water quality of the section of Erdaosha River into the Yellow River estuary inferior to Class V for a long time. The water quality of some sections of Dahei River and Xiaoheihe River in Hohhot City is also inferior to Class V for a long time.

Third, there are still some weaknesses in the construction of the ecological security barrier in the north.

Grassland destruction occurs from time to time. Bayanhar Aobao Gold Mine of Xilingol League illegally occupied 2953 mu of grassland, and Wolongquan Racecourse and other four projects illegally occupied 329 mu of basic grassland for a long time. Zhamuqin Lead Zinc Mine of Xing'an League has occupied 938 mu of grassland in violation of regulations for a long time.

In March 2022, the Third Central Supervision Group for Ecological Environment Protection will inspect the illegal encroachment on grassland in Xilingol League

There are many violations in nature reserves. The Tumet Left Banner Water Affairs Bureau has twice approved the Honglingjin Reservoir Management Office to expand the scope of dredging operations without authorization, giving a green light to its sand mining and sand washing in the Daqingshan National Nature Reserve. In the process of promoting the ecological restoration of Daqingshan Mine in Qingshan District of Baotou City, 38 reservoirs were illegally agreed to be built, occupying 172.8 mu of the experimental area of the Reserve. The Hongshiya ecotourism project in Ulanqab City illegally occupied the experimental area of Daqingshan National Nature Reserve. Individual animal husbandry enterprises in Xilingol League illegally occupied 237.4 mu of experimental area of Xilingol Grassland National Nature Reserve.

In April 2022, the Third Central Supervision Group for Ecological Environment Protection inspected the illegal sand mining at the Daqingshan National Nature Reserve

Black land protection is not in place. The implementation plan of the black land protection project in the autonomous region has lagged behind. Since 2018, the non-agricultural construction projects approved by Hulunbeier, Chifeng, Tongliao, Xing'an League and other leagues and cities have occupied nearly 10000 mu of black land, and more than half of them have not implemented the topsoil stripping and effective reuse requirements. According to the Special Plan for Erosion Gully Control in Northeast Black Soil Area (2016-2030), 5824 erosion gullies were controlled in Inner Mongolia during the 13th Five Year Plan period, but only 935 were actually controlled.

The inspector also found that the wetland protection in the autonomous region was not strong enough. The 12 leagues and cities in the region did not prepare wetland protection plans as required, and the wetland protection rate did not reach the planning goal of 35%.

Fourth, other issues need attention.

Environmental protection infrastructure construction and operation are not in place. 23 of the 98 domestic waste landfills in the region have not built leachate treatment facilities. Xilinhot Municipal Domestic Waste Landfill was put into operation in 2011, and leachate treatment facilities will be constructed in 2021. Some industrial parks in Hohhot, Baotou and other league cities rely on urban domestic sewage treatment plants to treat industrial wastewater that exceeds the control requirements, affecting the stable operation of sewage treatment plants. The construction of sewage pipe network in Hohhot during the "13th Five Year Plan" period was only 21.9% completed. The problem of aging, damage, rain and sewage mixing and wrong connection of urban drainage pipe network in Baotou City is prominent.

There is still a gap in the prevention and control of air pollution. In 2021, the average concentrations of ozone and PM10 in the Wuhai Sea and its surrounding areas will increase rather than decrease. The rectification of "scattered pollution" enterprises in the region is not complete, and the dust pollution in the mining area is serious. Hohhot City and other six leagues and cities are the key areas for national diesel truck pollution control. Only 7% of diesel trucks are equipped with remote online monitoring systems, far below the target of 50% by 2020.

There are potential risks in solid waste and hazardous waste treatment. The disposal and utilization capacity of industrial solid waste in Ordos City is insufficient, and the storage capacity of Wuhai Chemical Solid Waste Dump reaches 3.8 million cubic meters. Baotou Hazardous Waste Disposal Center and Chifeng Yuntong Nonferrous Metals Co., Ltd. have a large number of hazardous wastes stacked for a long time, with outstanding environmental risks. The medical waste landfill of Ulanqab Environmental Medical Waste Disposal Company was not standardized.

There is a gap in the prevention and control of agricultural non-point source pollution. The total amount of agricultural non-point source pollutants around Wuliangsuhai in Bayannur City accounts for 56% of the total amount of pollutants entering the lake. The recovery and utilization rate of plastic film in the whole area is low, with 52.6% in Bayannur City and 23.3% in Ulanqab City.

The third party fraud problem in some local environmental monitoring is prominent. Ordos High tech Materials Co., Ltd. entrusted China Carbon Energy Investment Corporation to tamper with and report some contents in the test report attached to the emission report. The groundwater of Huimin Landfill in Toktor County has exceeded the standard for a long time, and the monitoring data of the third-party monitoring company entrusted by it has been falsified for a long time, and the original experimental records have been forged. Tumet Right Banner Beikong Water Affairs Company instructed the third-party operation and maintenance company to connect the configured "qualified sewage" to the monitoring equipment and forge monitoring data.

We will implement the major regional strategies for ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River basin, strictly control the blind launch of "two high" projects, strengthen the conservation and intensive use of water resources, strengthen the joint prevention and control of air pollution in key regions, strengthen the protection and restoration of grasslands, rivers and lakes, and accelerate the improvement of environmental infrastructure. We should attach great importance to the handling of people's environmental complaints, and earnestly solve the ecological and environmental problems that people strongly reflect. For dereliction of duty, relevant departments should be instructed to further investigate, clarify responsibilities, and be held accountable seriously, accurately and effectively. If it is necessary to carry out compensation for ecological environment damage or to file a public interest lawsuit, it shall be handled according to the relevant provisions.

The inspector emphasized that the Party committee and government of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region should, according to the inspection report and in accordance with the requirements of the Measures for the Central Supervision and Rectification of Ecological Environment Protection, promptly study and formulate a rectification plan, and submit it to the Party Central Committee and the State Council within 45 working days. The rectification plan and the implementation of rectification shall be disclosed to the public in accordance with relevant regulations.

The inspection team also sorted out the problems of accountability for ecological environmental damage found and handed them over to the Party committee and government of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region for handling according to relevant regulations.

Source: Ministry of Ecology and Environment

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