CCTV9英语新闻：China's first public-interest litigation case takes on a major polluter

China’s first public interest litigation civil lawsuit on environment pollution has gone to trial in Xuzhou City of east China’s Jiangsu province. A paper factory accused of severe violation of the environmental law has been charged a total compensation more than 1 million yuan.

 

It might once have been a clear, sparkling river, but it is now a stinking sewer or even garbage dump. For about two years, Xuzhou Hongshun Paper Manufacturing Factory had discharged tons of waste water into the river. And now it is payback time. The Xuzhou Municipal People’s Procuratorate sued the factory as a public interest litigator.

 

“The company has caused severe ecological damage by discharging waste water into nearby rivers, and the damage is still affecting the environment. We, the Xuzhou Municipal People’s Procuratorate, sued the company and took the case to trial to demand the company pay compensation for the damage and to restore the environment,” said Chen Shili with Xuzhou Municipal People’s Procuratorate.

 

According to the investigation by the procuratorate, the company built drain pipes between April 2013 and February 2015 to discharge over 2,600 tons of waste water. The damage to the environment is valued at some 270,000 yuan.

 

The case went to trial and was concluded Monday. Compensation has been set at 1.06 million yuan and the company must repair the environmental damage.