Relevant official from the Ministry of Environmental Protection answers journalists’ questions

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This post was last edited by yinkuilin6868 on 2016-6-6 at 10:14. The State Council issued the \"Action Plan for Soil Pollution Prevention and Control\" today (hereinafter referred to as the \"Soil Ten Measures\"), which outlines a comprehensive strategic plan for addressing soil pollution prevention and control in China over the coming period. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the background, significance, and main contents of the “Ten Measures for Soil Protection”, the reporter interviewed relevant officials from the Ministry of Environmental Protection. 　　1. What are the background factors behind the introduction of the \"Ten Measures on Soil Management\"? 　　In recent years, various regions and departments have actively taken measures to explore and implement approaches to soil pollution prevention and control, achieving certain results. However, due to the generally extensive mode of economic development in our country, the industrial structure and layout remain imperfect, resulting in high total pollutant emissions. As the ultimate recipient of most pollutants, the environmental quality of soil is significantly affected. At present, the overall condition of China’s soil environment is concerning, with pollution being particularly severe in some areas; this has become one of the major obstacles to achieving a fully developed society. The State Council attaches great importance to this issue. ****The Prime Minister has issued several important directives, calling for the effective strengthening of efforts to prevent and control soil pollution. The formulation and implementation of the “Ten Measures for Soil Protection” is a major initiative by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council to promote ecological civilization construction and resolutely combat pollution. It represents a crucial strategic arrangement for systematically addressing pollution control, and plays a positive role in ensuring the improvement of ecological and environmental quality as well as the safety and stability of various natural ecosystems. 　　2. What are the characteristics of soil pollution compared to water and air pollution? 　　First, soil pollution is characterized by its concealment and latency. Air pollution and water pollution are generally quite visible and can be detected through the senses. Soil pollution can often only be determined through soil sample analysis, crop testing, and even studies on the effects on human and animal health. It usually takes a long time for soil pollution to cause harm after it arises. 　　Second, soil pollution is cumulative. Compared to the atmosphere and water bodies, pollutants are more difficult to migrate, disperse, and dilute in soil. Therefore, pollutants tend to accumulate continuously in the soil. 　　Third, soil pollution is uneven. Due to the significant variations in soil properties, as well as the slow movement of pollutants within the soil, the distribution of pollutants in the soil is uneven, resulting in high spatial variability. 　　Fourth, soil pollution is difficult to reverse. Due to the difficulty in degrading heavy metals, soil contamination by them is essentially a process that cannot be completely reversed. Furthermore, many organic pollutants in the soil also require a long time to degrade. 　　Fifth, the treatment of soil pollution is challenging. Once soil pollution occurs, it is difficult to restore it by merely cutting off the source of contamination. Overall, the cost of remediating soil pollution is high, the process is lengthy, and it is very difficult to accomplish. 　　3. What are the main soil pollutants? 　　Pollutants in soil have diverse sources and types; they can generally be classified into inorganic and organic pollutants. Inorganic pollutants are mainly heavy metals, such as cadmium, mercury, arsenic, lead, chromium, copper, zinc, and nickel; in some areas, there are also manganese, cobalt, selenium, vanadium, antimony, thallium, molybdenum, and others. There are a wide variety of organic pollutants, including volatile organic pollutants such as benzene, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, and trichloroethylene, as well as semi-volatile organic pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, and organic pesticides. 　　4. What impact does soil pollution have on groundwater? 　　Groundwater pollution refers to the deterioration of groundwater quality caused by human activities. Soil pollution is an important source of contamination in shallow groundwater; certain pollutants in the soil can leach or enter the groundwater along with percolating water. Over time, this leads to a deterioration in the quality of shallow groundwater, ultimately resulting in contamination. 　　5. What are the main causes of soil pollution in our country? 　　Soil pollution in our country has accumulated over time as a result of economic and social development. The main causes include: first, the waste gases, wastewater, and waste residues emitted during the production and operational activities of industrial and mining enterprises are the primary factors contributing to soil pollution in their surrounding areas. The dumping of various solid wastes such as tailings and hazardous waste leads to soil contamination in the surrounding areas. Vehicle exhaust emissions cause pollution of heavy metals such as lead and zinc, as well as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, in the soil on both sides of traffic roads. 　　Secondly, agricultural production activities are a major cause of soil pollution in arable land. Wastewater irrigation, the improper use of agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, and plastic films, as well as livestock farming, all contribute to soil pollution in arable lands. 　　Thirdly, the random disposal of household waste, used home appliances, used batteries, used light tubes, etc., along with the discharge of wastewater from daily life, causes soil pollution. 　　Fourth, high natural background values are the reason for excessive levels of heavy metals in the soils of some regions and river basins. 　　6. What efforts has our country made in preventing and controlling soil pollution? 　　Compared with developed countries and regions, the work on soil pollution prevention and control in our country started relatively late. Overall, the foundation for current work is still weak, and a system for preventing and controlling soil pollution has not yet been established. From the 1980s to the 1990s, Chinese scientists began to pay attention to issues such as soil in mining areas, soil in areas affected by polluted irrigation, and soil contamination in arable lands resulting from the extensive use of pesticides like BHC and DDT. “During the Sixth and Seventh Five-Year Plans, **science and technology research projects supported studies on the background values of agricultural soils, the national background values of soil environments, and the environmental capacity of soils. This led to the accumulation of valuable data on the background conditions of China’s soil environments, and on this basis, China’s first \"Soil Environmental Quality Standards\" were formulated and issued in 1995. 　　In recent years, soil environmental problems in our country have become increasingly prominent, attracting widespread attention from society. In accordance with the decisions and arrangements of **** and the State Council, relevant departments and local authorities have taken active efforts, and certain results have been achieved in soil pollution prevention and control. First, a national survey on soil pollution was conducted to understand the characteristics and overall situation of soil pollution in China ； Second, a series of policy documents on soil pollution prevention and control have been introduced to establish and improve the policy and regulatory framework for soil environmental protection ； Third, carry out the revision of soil environmental quality standards to improve the standard system for soil environment protection ； Fourth, formulate and implement comprehensive plans for the prevention and control of heavy metal pollution, and launch pilot projects for the treatment and remediation of soil pollution ； Fifth, formulate an action plan for soil pollution prevention and control to comprehensively advance efforts in this area. 　　7. What were the overall considerations in formulating the \"Ten Measures on Soil Pollution\"? 　　First, adhere to a problem-oriented approach and a bottom-line mindset. Compared to air and water pollution, soil pollution is hidden in nature, and efforts to address it started late with a weak foundation. To this end, we have put forward requirements for carrying out investigations to understand the current situation, advancing legislation and improving standards, clarifying responsibilities, and strengthening supervision. At the same time, it is proposed to resolutely uphold the bottom line of soil environmental quality, which is crucial for ensuring the quality of agricultural products and the safety of the living environment. 　　Second, it is necessary to focus on key areas and set limited goals. Practices at home and abroad show that addressing soil pollution requires long-term and arduous efforts. In response to the prominent soil environmental issues that currently threaten public health, and taking into account the basic national conditions at this initial stage as well as the overall situation of economic and social development, the \"Ten Measures on Soil Pollution\" focus on arable land used for farming and polluted plots in construction areas. It identifies the key pollutants, industries, and regions that require supervision, imposes strict controls on new sources of pollution, and introduces more stringent management measures for heavily polluted arable land – such lands are designated as unsuitable for growing food crops; however, other types of crops can still be grown there, though not absolutely without restrictions ； For contaminated plots, different uses are distinguished; rather than simply banning their use, a negative list of permitted uses is established based on the degree of contamination. At the same time, by focusing on key tasks and setting limited target indicators, it is possible to achieve protection while developing, and development while protecting. 　　Third, adhere to classified management and comprehensive measures. To enhance the relevance and effectiveness of these measures, agricultural land is divided into three categories based on the degree of pollution, with measures such as priority protection, safe utilization, and strict control implemented accordingly for each category ； For construction land, management measures are specified according to different uses, and strict access controls are applied ； Targeted control requirements have also been established for unused land, ensuring full coverage of all land categories. In terms of specific measures, targeted actions for protection, control, and restoration are proposed for both uncontaminated and contaminated soil, in order to strictly limit new contamination while also managing existing contamination effectively, thus achieving closed-loop management with no overlooked areas. 　　8. What impact will the introduction and implementation of the \"Ten Measures on Soil Pollution\" have on efforts to prevent and control soil pollution in China? 　　The introduction and implementation of the \"Ten Measures on Soil Pollution\" will strengthen the foundation for soil pollution prevention and control in China, and comprehensively enhance the country’s capabilities in this area. 　　First, by carrying out thorough investigations into soil pollution, it is necessary to determine the area and distribution of soil pollution in agricultural land as well as its impact on the quality of agricultural products. It is also important to identify the locations of polluted plots in lands used by key industrial enterprises and to assess their environmental risks, in order to gain a full understanding of the extent of soil pollution. 　　Second, by formulating and revising laws, regulations, departmental rules, and standard systems related to soil pollution prevention and control, a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework for such purposes is established. 　　Third, by carrying out pilot projects for soil pollution control and remediation, efforts are made to explore comprehensive approaches to preventing soil pollution at its source, managing risks, carrying out treatment and remediation, and building regulatory capabilities, with the aim of gradually establishing a technical framework for soil pollution prevention and control in China. 　　Fourth, by standardizing the management of organizations and personnel involved in soil pollution control and remediation, clarifying the entities responsible for such activities, implementing a lifetime accountability system for soil pollution control and remediation, and making full use of market mechanisms, efforts are made to promote the development of the industry related to soil pollution control and remediation. 　　Fifth, by clarifying the responsibilities of various parties, enhancing information disclosure, and carrying out publicity and education efforts, a soil pollution prevention and control system characterized by **leadership, corporate responsibility, public participation, and social oversight can be established. 　　9. Why is it necessary to conduct a detailed investigation of soil pollution, and how should it be carried out? 　　A comprehensive and accurate understanding of the soil pollution situation is an important foundation for carrying out soil pollution prevention, control, and supervision efforts. From 2005 to 2013, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, in collaboration with the Ministry of Land and Resources, conducted the first national survey on soil pollution, covering an area of approximately 6.3 million square kilometers. Since 1999, the Ministry of Land and Resources has carried out multi-objective regional geochemical surveys. By 2014, a total area of 1.507 million square kilometers had been surveyed, of which 1.386 billion mu was cultivated land, accounting for 68% of the country’s total cultivated land area. In 2012, the Ministry of Agriculture launched a survey on heavy metal pollution in the soil of agricultural production areas, covering an area of 1.623 billion mu. 　　Overall, the completed soil environmental surveys have provided an initial understanding of the basic characteristics and patterns of soil pollution across the country, as well as an insight into the main pollutants in the soil. However, due to the long time span of the surveys and the lack of uniformity in survey methods, the accuracy of these surveys falls short of meeting the requirements for soil pollution risk management, control, remediation, and restoration. There is an urgent need to further improve the survey accuracy based on existing efforts, so as to truly ascertain the extent of soil pollution and obtain soil pollution data at the plot level. By conducting thorough investigations into soil pollution, it is possible to gain a better understanding of the status of soil pollution in agricultural land, determine with accuracy the locations of polluted farmland, assess the impact of soil pollution on the quality of agricultural products and human health, identify the causes of soil pollution, understand the situation regarding soil pollution in key industrial enterprises, and obtain authoritative, unified, and highly accurate data on soil environment conditions. An information management platform for soil environments, based on big data analytics and featuring classification, grading, and zoning, can be established to fully meet the needs of sectors such as environmental protection, land management, agriculture, and public health, thereby providing a scientific basis for the comprehensive implementation of actions to prevent and control soil pollution. At present, the relevant departments are formulating a comprehensive plan for the detailed investigation and making active preparations for various tasks. 　　10. The detailed survey of agricultural land was completed in 2018, while the detailed survey of land used by key industry enterprises was completed in 2020. What are the considerations behind this? 　　Based on an estimation of the workload involved in the detailed investigation of soil pollution, it is planned to complete the detailed survey of agricultural land in about two years, and the detailed survey of land used by enterprises in key industries in about four years. 　　11. What soil-related monitoring and surveys have been carried out in our country so far? What are the industry monitoring networks? How should soil environmental quality monitoring sites be integrated? 　　Currently, in addition to environmental protection agencies, the agricultural and land management departments also carry out soil monitoring surveys. The soil environmental quality monitoring carried out by environmental protection agencies focuses on the environmental conditions of soil in agricultural land and polluted areas, while the agricultural department focuses on the fertility of arable land. The land administration department focuses on determining mineral elements and other inorganic indicators in the soil. 　　Apart from environmental protection, the industry monitoring networks related to soil mainly involve the agricultural sector and the land management sector. The agricultural sector has established 107 **-level farmland quality monitoring stations across the country for monitoring the fertility of arable land ； To address environmental pollution in agricultural production areas and their surrounding regions, monitoring stations will be set up primarily in agricultural zones near industrial and mining enterprises, areas irrigated with wastewater, and the suburbs of large and medium-sized cities; it is planned to establish 152,000 national monitoring stations for ensuring the safety of these production areas. The land administration department has organized multi-objective regional geochemical surveys, but a regular monitoring network has not yet been established. 　　The monitoring and surveys carried out by the environmental protection, agriculture, and land management departments are mostly of a specialized nature; some indicators overlap, but the standards, locations, and frequency of these monitoring and surveys vary from one department to another. It is necessary to integrate them gradually in order to meet the management needs of various levels of authorities and relevant departments. 　　12. How to establish a soil environmental quality monitoring network? 　　The Ministry of Environmental Protection is working on establishing a monitoring network for soil environmental quality. As of December 2015, 31,367 national monitoring sites for soil environmental quality had been set up across the country, including 22,816 regular monitoring sites and 8,551 sites designated for monitoring risks; these sites cover 90% of counties (cities, districts). An additional 7,000 risk sites are planned to be added in 2016. 　　13. Why is it necessary to enact a specific law on soil pollution prevention and control? 　　At present, China does not have any specific laws and regulations aimed at preventing and controlling soil pollution. The existing provisions related to soil pollution prevention and control are mainly scattered across laws and regulations on environmental pollution prevention and control, natural resource protection, and agriculture, such as the Environmental Protection Law, the Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Wastes, the Agriculture Law, the Grassland Law, the Land Administration Law, and the Law on the Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products. Given the lack of systematicity and specificity in these regulations, there is an urgent need to enact specialized laws on soil pollution prevention and control to meet the demands of such efforts. 　　14. The \"Ten Measures on Soil\" call for contributing to the drafting of the Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Law – what is the current progress? What progress has been made in local regulations for soil pollution prevention and control? 　　In 2013, the 12th Ren Da Conference included the Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Law in the first category of legislative plans. Commissioned by the State Council Environmental Protection Committee, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, in conjunction with departments such as the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Land and Resources, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the National Health and Family Planning Commission, prepared a draft of the Law on the Prevention and Control of Soil Pollution, which was submitted to the State Council Environmental Protection Committee in December 2014. To advance soil legislation, over the past two years, the Ministry of Environmental Protection has worked closely with the National Committee on Environment and Natural Resources to conduct in-depth research, holding numerous thematic seminars and discussions, organizing specialized lectures, and revising the draft more than 10 times. During the drafting process, Vice Chairmen Chen Changzhi and Shen Yueyue personally led teams to provinces and regions such as Shandong, Liaoning, Hunan, Henan, Guangdong, and Fujian to conduct investigations. According to the arrangements of the REN Grand Council on Resources, two internal preliminary reviews are planned to be conducted within 2016, and the matter is to be submitted to the REN Grand **Council in 2017 to complete the process of submission and review. 　　In December 2015, Fujian Province issued the \"Measures for the Prevention and Control of Soil Pollution in Fujian Province\" ； In February 2016, Hubei Province issued the Regulations on the Prevention and Control of Soil Pollution in Hubei Province. Provinces such as Hunan, Henan, Guangdong, and Jilin are carrying out legislative work on soil pollution prevention and control. 　　15. What are the current standards for soil environmental protection in our country? What other standards need to be established? 　　China’s current standard system for soil environmental protection consists of three categories and 48 standards: the first category is standards related to soil environmental quality (evaluation), which includes 1 standard for soil environmental quality, 3 standards for evaluating the soil environment in specific types of land use, and 4 technical guidelines for protecting the soil environment in construction areas ； The second category consists of standards for soil environment monitoring, including 1 technical specification for soil environment monitoring and 37 standards for monitoring methods of soil environment pollutants ； Third are the basic standards for the soil environment, including 2 related terminology standards. 　　The next steps in the development and revision of standards mainly include: first, formulating and revising the soil environmental quality standards for agricultural land and construction land to replace the current ones ； Second, it involves formulating and revising technical specifications for soil environment monitoring, investigation and assessment, risk management and control, treatment and restoration, as well as technical guidelines for environmental impact assessment ； Third, improve the standards related to soil pollution prevention and control; revise the standards regarding limits on toxic and harmful substances in fertilizers, feed, and irrigation water, as well as those for controlling pollutants in agricultural sludge; establish standards for biodegradable agricultural plastic films; and revise the standards for agricultural plastic films and pesticide packaging ； Fourth, improve the analysis and testing methods for pollutants in soil ； Fifth, develop a series of soil environmental standard samples in a classified manner. 　　16. Why are the current soil environmental quality standards being revised, and what is the progress? 　　China’s current \"Soil Environmental Quality Standards\" (GB 15618-1995) (hereinafter referred to as the \"current standards\") were issued on July 13, 1995, and came into effect on July 1, 1996. They have played an important foundational role in the protection and management of soil environment in China. However, they are no longer suitable for the actual needs of soil environment protection at the present stage, with the following main problems: first, their scope of application is limited. It is applicable only to the evaluation of soil environmental quality in farmlands, vegetable gardens, tea plantations, orchards, pastures, forests, nature reserves, etc.; there are a lack of indicators for assessing soil environmental quality in construction areas such as commercial facilities, industrial and mining storage sites, residential areas, and those related to public administration and services. Second, there are few project indicators. Only 8 heavy metal indicators and 2 pesticide indicators for BHC and DDT are specified, whereas in recent years the situation of soil pollution has become increasingly complex; especially in cases of industrial-contaminated sites, a wide range of pollutants need to be evaluated for soil environmental management. Third, the implementation results are not satisfactory. The first-level standards establish uniform regulations across the country based on the soil environment background survey data from the Seventh Five-Year Plan, and thus fail to reflect regional differences objectively ； There are disputes regarding whether the limit values specified in the second and third-level standards are too strict (such as for cadmium) or too lenient (such as for lead); in some areas, there are significant differences between the results of soil environmental quality assessments and those of agricultural product quality assessments. 　　In response to the aforementioned issues in the existing standards, the Ministry of Environmental Protection launched a process for revising these standards in 2006. It organized more than 20 specialized meetings and seminars, during which the structural framework, functional roles, and main contents of the soil environmental protection standards were carefully studied and analyzed. To date, the revised standards have been made available to the public for comments on three occasions. After being reviewed by the Standard Review Expert Committee of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and at ministerial meetings, they were further revised and improved before being submitted for approval in accordance with the established procedures. 　　17. Why is it necessary to revise the current standards for agricultural plastic films? How much agricultural plastic film is discarded nationwide each year? 　　The current **standard** for the thickness of agricultural plastic film is 0.008±0.003 mm. Even agricultural films that meet the standards are prone to breaking, which makes it difficult and costly to recycle them. It is necessary to raise the thickness requirements by revising the standards to facilitate recycling. According to relevant surveys, in 2013, the total amount of discarded agricultural plastic film in China exceeded 1 million tons. 　　18. How are industries under key supervision taken into account? 　　Based on the results of the first national survey of pollution sources and the national survey on soil pollution, industries such as non-ferrous metal mining and processing, non-ferrous metal smelting, oil extraction, oil refining, the chemical industry, coking, electroplating, and leather manufacturing have been identified as industries requiring close supervision. This is mainly because the pollutants emitted by these industries are all those that require strict control, and they pose a serious threat to the soil environment and human health. 　　19. Why is it necessary to classify the soil environmental quality of agricultural land? What is the difference from the grading of agricultural land? 　　To enhance the relevance and effectiveness of management, agricultural land is classified according to the degree of soil contamination, and measures such as priority protection, safe utilization, and strict control are implemented to minimize the risk of agricultural products exceeding regulatory standards. The classification of agricultural land carried out by the agriculture and land and resources departments mainly reflects the differences in land productivity, and is determined based on factors such as geographical location, hydrothermal conditions, and economic value. 　　20. What are the responsibilities of enterprises in preventing soil pollution? 　　Corporate responsibilities include strengthening internal management, incorporating soil pollution prevention and control into the environmental risk management system, constructing and operating pollution treatment facilities in strict compliance with laws and regulations to ensure that emissions of key pollutants remain within specified limits, as well as carrying out monitoring of the soil environment at corporate sites ； Those responsible for soil pollution shall bear the legal responsibility for damage assessment, remediation, and restoration. 　　21. What are the specific measures included in agronomic regulation? 　　In the prevention and control of soil pollution, agronomic regulation refers to the use of agricultural measures to control the bioavailability of pollutants in arable soil, thereby reducing the transfer of pollutants from the soil to crops, especially their edible parts. This approach helps ensure the safe production of agricultural products and enables the safe utilization of polluted arable land. Agronomic control measures mainly include planting crops with low heavy metal accumulation, adjusting the physical and chemical properties of the soil, managing water scientifically, and applying functional fertilizers. 　　22. Why are areas where the production of agricultural products is prohibited designated? 　　Article 15 of the Law on the Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products stipulates that the agricultural authorities at the local people’s government level at or above the county level, in accordance with the requirements for ensuring the quality and safety of agricultural products, and taking into account factors such as the characteristics of the agricultural product varieties as well as the levels of toxic and harmful substances in the air, soil, and water in the production areas, shall identify areas where the production of certain agricultural products is deemed inappropriate, propose such areas for prohibition of production, and announce them after obtaining approval from the corresponding people’s government. 　　23. What is risk management? 　　For agricultural land, risk management primarily involves measures such as agronomic adjustments, alternative cropping, restructuring of the cropping pattern, or converting farmland back into forests or grasslands, as well as designating areas where the production of certain agricultural products is prohibited. These actions are taken to ensure the sustainable use of arable land and to guarantee the security of agricultural products, particularly food supplies. 　　For construction land, risk management primarily involves placing signs and markers on polluted plots, as well as taking measures such as isolation and containment to prevent further spread of pollution ； Designate controlled areas, restrict access to prevent soil disturbance ； Through use control, risks associated with arbitrary development are avoided. 　　24. What are the main risks of soil pollution? What control measures will be taken next? 　　The main risks of soil pollution include: first, contamination of arable land affects the quality of agricultural products. Soil pollution affects crop growth and leads to reduced yields. Crops may absorb and accumulate certain pollutants, affecting the quality of agricultural products and causing economic losses to agricultural production ； Long-term consumption of agricultural products with excessive levels of contaminants can seriously harm human health. Second, it endangers the safety of the living environment. Soil contamination in land used for residential, commercial, industrial, and other purposes can pose a threat to human health through oral ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact. Developing contaminated plots without proper remediation can cause long-term harm to the affected populations. Third is the threat to ecological and environmental security. Soil pollution affects the growth and reproduction of plants, animals (such as earthworms), and microorganisms (such as rhizobia), threatening normal soil ecological processes and ecological service functions. It hinders the transformation of soil nutrients and the maintenance of soil fertility, thereby affecting the proper functioning of the soil. Pollutants in the soil can undergo transformation and migration, eventually entering surface water, groundwater, and the atmosphere, affecting other environmental media and potentially contaminating drinking water sources. 　　The main control measures to be taken next include: first, implementing classified management of agricultural land to ensure the safety of the agricultural production environment. For soils with mild to moderate contamination, plans for the safe use of contaminated farmland should be developed and implemented, employing measures such as agricultural management techniques and alternative cropping to reduce the risk of agricultural products exceeding regulatory limits ； For heavily polluted soil, its use is strictly regulated; areas where the production of certain agricultural products is prohibited are designated in accordance with the law, and the cultivation of edible agricultural products is strictly forbidden in such areas ； Formulate and implement plans for adjusting the cropping structure on heavily polluted farmland or converting such land back to forests or grasslands. Second, implement access control for construction land to prevent risks to the living environment. Integrate the environmental management requirements for soil in construction land into urban planning, land supply management, and land development and utilization management. For the land used by enterprises in industries such as non-ferrous metal smelting, petrochemicals, oil processing, chemicals, coking, electroplating, and leather manufacturing whose land use rights are to be revoked, as well as for the land of such enterprises whose use is intended to be changed to public facilities such as residential and commercial areas, schools, medical institutions, and nursing homes, it is the holder of the land use rights who is responsible for conducting investigations and assessments of the soil’s environmental condition ； For those that have been recovered, the people’s governments of the corresponding cities and counties are responsible for conducting investigations and evaluations. Based on the results of the investigation and assessment, a list of polluted plots along with a negative list regarding their use and development shall be established to determine land uses appropriately. 　　25. What does the assessment of soil pollution risk include? 　　Soil pollution risk assessment refers to the use of probabilistic methods to characterize the likelihood of certain harmful consequences resulting from soil pollution. Soil pollution risks can generally be divided into two main categories: health risks and ecological risks. Health risks refer to the possibility of harm, illness, or death resulting from human exposure to a polluted environment. Ecological risk refers to the probability or likelihood that soil pollutants will cause damage to certain elements within an ecosystem or to the ecosystem itself. 　　26. Why are measures such as adjusting the crop mix or converting polluted farmland back into forests or grasslands being adopted at this stage, rather than carrying out treatment and restoration? 　　Given the current level of economic and technological development, treating and restoring heavily polluted arable land requires substantial financial investment, a long time frame, and may cause serious damage to soil functions. Given the basic national condition of limited arable land resources in our country, taking measures such as adjusting crop structures or converting polluted farmland back into forests and grasslands allows for the full utilization of land resources while avoiding the risk of producing grain that exceeds safety standards. 　　27. How can the risks associated with the development of polluted land sites be mitigated at the stage of urban and rural planning? 　　Urban and rural planning is the fundamental basis for urban and rural construction as well as the implementation of planning management. Urban and rural planning efforts will work in conjunction with relevant departments to mitigate the risks associated with the development and use of polluted land in two key areas: First, when formulating statutory plans such as overall urban plans and detailed control plans, the layout of industrial land should be planned carefully; in particular, for those three types of industrial land that pose serious disruptions to residential areas and public spaces, as well as creating pollution and safety hazards, safety distances must be established in accordance with relevant standards. Secondly, in the process of organic renewal of old cities, it is necessary to strengthen the management of land used by industrial enterprises after they are relocated and renovated. This applies especially to those enterprises involved in polluting activities such as non-ferrous metal smelting, petroleum processing, chemicals, coking, electroplating, and leather manufacturing, whose land use rights are intended to be revoked; furthermore, for those enterprises whose land is planned to be converted into public facilities such as residential areas, commercial spaces, schools, medical centers, and nursing homes, it is the responsibility of the land users to conduct investigations and assessments of the soil environment. Only those plots whose assessment results meet the corresponding soil quality standards set for planned uses can proceed with the land use procedures. 　　28. How should the responsibilities for the treatment and remediation of polluted land sites be defined? 　　The \"Ten Measures on Soil Pollution\" clearly stipulate that the responsibility for the treatment and restoration of polluted soil sites shall be determined in accordance with the principle of \"whoever pollutes, shall clean it up\", with the entity or individual responsible for causing the soil pollution bearing that responsibility. If the entity responsible changes, the unit or individual that succeeds to its claims and debts shall assume the relevant responsibilities ； When the land use right is transferred in accordance with the law, the person who acquires the land use right or the party designated by both parties shall assume the relevant responsibilities. If the entity responsible is no longer existing or its identity is unclear, the county-level people’s government in the relevant area shall assume the corresponding responsibilities in accordance with the law. 　　29. What measures does the “Ten Measures on Soil Management” provide for the supervision of the development and utilization of polluted land, as well as its remediation projects? 　　The \"Ten Measures on Soil Pollution\" set clear requirements for the development and utilization of polluted land, as well as for the supervision of remediation projects. Regarding the development and utilization of polluted land, strict management of access for construction purposes is implemented; firstly, a system for investigation and assessment prior to the development and utilization of such land is established. Secondly, management measures should be defined based on the intended use; plots that meet the soil environmental quality requirements specified in the relevant planning can proceed with the land-use procedures ； For those that are not to be developed for the time being, control zones should be established and risk control measures taken. Third, it is necessary to enforce the regulatory responsibilities of departments such as urban and rural planning, land and resources management, and environmental protection, by incorporating soil environment management requirements into urban planning and land allocation processes. 　　Regarding the supervision of pollution site remediation and restoration projects, first, such projects should in principle be carried out at the original site, with necessary measures taken to prevent secondary pollution. Second, it is to disclose information such as the basic details of the project, its environmental impact, and the measures taken to prevent such impacts, so as to accept societal oversight. Third, entrust a third-party agency to evaluate the governance and restoration effects. Fourth, implement a lifetime responsibility system for soil pollution control and remediation. 　　30. If the soil is polluted, is there any way to treat it? What are the repair methods? 　　Contaminated soil can have its risks or hazards reduced and its functions restored through remediation, but this generally requires substantial funding and a long time. Soil remediation refers to the use of physical, chemical, and biological methods to remove, absorb, degrade, and transform pollutants in the soil, thereby reducing their concentration to acceptable levels or converting toxic and harmful pollutants into harmless substances. It generally includes three approaches: bioremediation, physicochemical remediation, and chemical remediation. Due to the complexity of soil pollution, it is sometimes necessary to use multiple techniques. 　　Bioremediation technology was developed in the 1980s. Its basic principle is to utilize the unique ability of organisms to break down toxic and harmful substances, thereby removing pollutants from soil. It mainly includes phytoremediation technology, microbial remediation technology, and combined bioremediation technology. The advantages are that it does not destroy soil organic matter, causes no significant disruption to the soil structure, and has a low cost ； The disadvantage is the long remediation period, making it generally unsuitable for remediating highly contaminated soil. 　　Physical remediation refers to the techniques that use various physical processes to remove or separate pollutants from soil. Commonly used techniques at present include soil amendment, thermal desorption, soil vapor extraction, and mechanical aeration. The advantage is high repair efficiency and fast speed ； The downside is that the cost is often relatively high. 　　Chemical remediation refers to the technique of adding chemical substances to soil, thereby removing pollutants from it or reducing their bioavailability or toxicity through chemical reactions such as oxidation-reduction, chelation, or precipitation. It mainly includes soil solidification and stabilization, leaching, redox reactions, etc. The advantage is higher repair efficiency and relatively fast speed ； The disadvantages include the tendency to damage soil structure and the potential for secondary pollution due to the addition of chemical agents. 　　31. What are the general stages involved in the treatment and remediation of contaminated sites? 　　The treatment and restoration of contaminated sites can generally be divided into stages such as investigation and assessment, feasibility study and plan design, project construction, and project acceptance. Investigation and assessment mainly include pollutant identification, determination of the degree and extent of pollution, pollution risk assessment, and establishment of restoration targets ； Feasibility study and design mainly include the selection of restoration techniques, determination of process parameters, estimation of project volume, feasibility assessment, construction drawing design, environmental management plan, etc ； Construction work refers to the organization and implementation of on-site construction and project development in accordance with the requirements of the design plan ； Project acceptance is the monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of the repair work. 　　32. What are the costs of soil pollution control and remediation? 　　The costs of soil pollution control and remediation vary significantly depending on the type of pollutant, the degree of contamination, and the remediation techniques used. Generally, the costs for the management and restoration of agricultural land range from several thousand to tens of thousands of yuan per mu, while the costs for treating and restoring soil in polluted areas range from a few hundred to several thousand yuan per cubic meter. 　　33. What is the development status of the industry for soil pollution control and remediation? 　　China began developing technologies for the treatment and remediation of soil pollution during the 10th Five-Year Plan period; in particular, since the 12th Five-Year Plan, with the support of special funds for the prevention and control of heavy metal pollution, technologies for addressing soil pollution have been initially established, taking into account different types of soil pollutants, levels of pollution, and land use patterns. The number of enterprises engaged in soil pollution control and remediation increased from just over 10 in 2010 to nearly 1,000, while the number of employees rose from around 2,000 to nearly 10,000 ； The total number of projects has reached over 300. Overall, in terms of technical capabilities and the workforce, the foundations for industrial development are basically in place. With the release and implementation of the \"Ten Measures on Soil Pollution\", the industry chain for soil pollution control and remediation will gradually cover aspects such as soil environment surveys, analysis and testing, risk assessment, as well as the design and construction of control and remediation projects, giving rise to a number of specialized soil remediation companies. By standardizing the management of enterprises and personnel, implementing a lifetime responsibility system for soil pollution control and remediation, and accelerating the transformation and application of relevant achievements, the development of the industry related to soil pollution control and remediation can be promoted. 　　34. How were the 6 pilot areas for comprehensive soil pollution control identified? How to advance implementation? 　　Based on the results of the national survey on soil pollution, and taking into account factors such as regional representativeness, types of soil pollution, existing work foundations, and local enthusiasm, six cities—Taizhou in Zhejiang, Huangshi in Hubei, Changde in Hunan, Shaoguan in Guangdong, Hechi in Guangxi, and Tongren in Guizhou—have been selected to serve as pilot areas for comprehensive soil pollution control measures. These areas have been included in the outline of the 13th Five-Year Plan. 　　In 2014, the Ministry of Environmental Protection began preparing for the establishment of pilot zones for comprehensive soil pollution control, organizing relevant cities to develop plans for these pilot zones; these plans have been approved by experts ； In 2015, a launch meeting for the construction of the pilot zone was held, and standards for its development are currently being established; relevant cities are carrying out the necessary work in accordance with the requirements outlined in the construction plan. Next, the Ministry of Environmental Protection will strengthen the evaluation and inspection of the progress in building these pilot areas, and urge the relevant local authorities to complete the construction work on time. 　　35. Which regions in our country have raised funds for pollution control by issuing bonds? 　　Since June 2013, Hunan Province has issued a total of 6.7 billion yuan in special bonds for the control of heavy metal pollution in the Xiangjiang River basin. In 2015, the Agricultural Bank of China issued green bonds worth $1 billion on the London Stock Exchange, to be used in areas such as clean energy, biogas generation, and urban waste and sewage treatment. 　　36. How is the national coordination mechanism for soil pollution prevention and control taken into account? 　　To coordinate soil pollution prevention and control efforts across the country and to regularly address major issues, a coordination mechanism for such efforts has been established. As a preliminary consideration, it is proposed to establish an inter-ministerial coordination group for soil pollution prevention and control, composed of departments such as the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Land and Resources, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Agriculture, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the State Forestry Administration, and the Legal Affairs Office.