August 28, the much-anticipated Tengger Desert pollution public interest litigation series in Ningxia Tengger Desert in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Intermediate People's Court of the first instance mediation to conclude the case, 8 accused enterprises to bear 569,169,634 yuan for the repair and prevention of soil pollution, and bear the environmental losses of public welfare of 6 million yuan.
On February 3, 2016, the Zhongwei Intermediate People's Court accepted the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (hereinafter referred to as the Green Development Council) v. Zhongwei City Meiliyuan Water Co. Ltd, Ningxia Ruitai Science and Technology Co., Ltd, Ningxia Mingsheng Dyeing and Chemical Co., Ltd, Zhongwei Xin Sanyuan Chemical Co., Ltd. 8 soil pollution damage compensation public interest litigation series of cases.
The Zhongwei Intermediate People's Court found that: five enterprises involved in the case did not implement the requirements of the environmental assessment, will exceed the production wastewater discharged into the evaporation pond; one enterprise wastewater treatment facilities are not running normally, long-term wastewater discharge, and the formation of a huge sewage pond; one enterprise in the sand landfill a large number of untreated waste residue, resulting in the ground mottled reddish-brown; one enterprise to the sand land sneak discharge of production wastewater into the sand. The illegal behavior of the above eight enterprises caused different degrees of pollution to the surrounding soil environment.
During the trial, the Intermediate People's Court of Zhongwei City in the organization of the Green Development Council and the enterprises involved in the exchange of evidence, communication and consultation on the basis of the enterprises involved in the Green Development Council in accordance with the advice, recommendations, the implementation of environmental governance experts to rectify and speed up the progress of governance and rectification. With the active cooperation and assistance of all parties, the eight enterprises involved in the case have installed and constructed the facilities and equipment needed to prevent future pollution and remediated the contaminated soil.
The Intermediate People's Court of Zhongwei City, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the law, the organization of the two parties to numerous consultations, communication, and hire experts to observe the effect of pollution treatment on the ground, and ultimately the Green Development Council to adopt the environmental protection department of the environmental assessment acceptance conclusions, contributing to the case of the parties to reach a mediation agreement. Mediation agreement on July 25, 2017 in the "People's Court Newspaper" announcement, the announcement period expired on August 25, the community did not object to this mediation agreement.
On August 28, the Intermediate Court of Zhongwei City held a hearing on the case, and the mediation agreement between the parties to the case was validated and confirmed. The mediation agreement determined that the eight enterprises involved in the case should bear the environmental damage public welfare fund of 6 million yuan on top of the 569,169,634 yuan invested in the remediation and prevention of soil pollution; Ningxia Lanfeng Fine Chemical Co. Ltd, Ningxia Mingsheng Dyeing Co. Ltd, Ningxia Huayou Chemical Co. Ltd. continue to complete the groundwater remediation work in accordance with the expert groundwater remediation program, and bear the corresponding costs until the set remediation target is realized. The Intermediate People's Court of Zhongwei City will urge the eight enterprises involved to fulfill their obligations under the mediation agreement.
The polluters should be made to bear the damages.