Chinese officials taken to task for not doing their job for the environment

The level of air pollution in Beijing is still higher than WHO's recommended standards. Photo: Reuters

More than 18,000 Chinese officials failed to take any action or performed badly in protecting the environment since 2016, according to a national crackdown that saw Beijing inspectors visit some of the world’s most polluted cities.

In one case, sewage from 150,000 residents in Jingdezhen in southern Jiangxi province was directly discharged into rivers due to a lack of treatment facilities.