Bosses of companies which pollute waterways could be docked half their salary, in the latest proposal to tackle the country's environmental problems. Enterprise heads directly responsible for causing severe water pollution incidents and others with direct responsibility would be fined up to half of their income in the previous year, according to a draft law.
The draft will be submitted as an amendment to the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law for review by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.
Previously, the firms themselves could be fined for any water pollution they caused, but this is the first time that individuals could face punishment.
More than 70 percent of the country's waterways and 90 percent of its underground water is polluted.
Meanwhile, normal water supplies to more than 200,000 people in Jianli and Qianjiang counties have been cut due to pollution in a local river. The water supply was cut on Sunday after water in a branch of the Hanjiang River turned red and foamy, forcing nearly 200,000 residents to opt for underground and bottled water. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
