Guangdong,China urges pollutant discharge units to take actions

“Pollutant Discharge Permit Management Ordinance” (State Council Decree No. 736) was officially released on January 24, 2021 and came into effect on March 1, 2021.Pollutant discharge unit must apply for a pollutant discharge permit in accordance with the provisions of this ordinance and pollutants discharging should be in accordance with the issued pollutant discharge permit.

In order to ensure the implementation of this ordinance, on February 25, 2021, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Guangdong Province sent a letter to pollutant discharge units in Guangdong Province to urge them to take corresponding measures. The main contents are as follows.

Voluntary application for pollutant discharge permits by discharge units

Pollutant discharge units subjected to priority control or simplified control listed in the “Classification and Management Inventory for Stational Source Pollutant Discharge Permit (2019 Edition)” shall apply for a permit through the “National Pollutant Discharge Permit Management Information System”（http://permit.mee.gov.cn）. Also, renewal, modification or reapplication of the issued permit shall be processed immediately.

Record of pollutants discharge information

Pollutant discharge unit, which listed in the “Classification and Management Inventory for Stational Source Pollutant Discharge Permit (2019 Edition)”, has registration obligation to record pollutant discharge information in the “National Pollutant Discharge Permit Management Information System” (http://permit.mee.gov.cn).

Thorough implementation of pollutant discharge management regulations

Company that has obtained a pollutant discharge permit must set a pollutant discharge outlet in accordance with the permit, and must comply with the requirements for method, destination, concentration, and total amount of pollutants discharged. In addition, self-monitoring, preparation of environmental management ledgers, implementation reports, and disclosure of pollutant emission information are also required and must be complied with.

Cooperation with inspections by ecological and environmental authorities

When a pollutant discharge unit is under the inspection by ecology and environment authority, it must provide an accurate description of the discharge situation and, if necessary, submit the discharge permit, environmental management ledger records, implementation reports, and self-monitoring data.

Legal responsibility

Discharge unit which fails to obtain a pollutant discharge permit or engage in other illegal activities will be punished in accordance with the “Pollutant Discharge Permit Management Ordinance”.

In order to support pollutant discharge units in Guangdong Province, the letter also announced the names and telephone numbers of the provincial eco-environmental competent authorities.

The original text of this notice can be viewed at the following URL (in simplified Chinese).

http://gdee.gd.gov.cn/ggtz3126/content/post_3230989.html