The State Council released the Beautiful China 15th Five-Year Plan, tightening
soil and groundwater environmental controls. It mandates intensified soil-source
pollution prevention, mandatory control and remediation for key soil-polluting
operators and promotion of green upgrades. Authorities will strengthen risk
management and a remediation-listing system for construction land, and tighten
soil controls on vacated sites from pesticide active-ingredient manufacturers
and coking plants. The plan aims to substantially complete heavy-metal pollution
remediation of agricultural land in priority counties and reach a contaminated
farmland safe-use rate of at least 95%. Measures also include protecting black
soil, treating acidified cropland, and stepped-up environmental management of
groundwater pollution priority zones, including a groundwater remediation
campaign for chemical industrial parks.
