"As more oil and chemical enterprises set up their factories in coastal areas, it would seem convenient for them to drain off wastewater and the pollution will increase," Ma said.
"China needs to consider more its control of water pollution from the very start. Other areas, such as heavy metal pollution, also need to be monitored in future," Ma said.
The ministry's latest report said 189 cities out of the 443 cities monitored also suffered from acid rain in the first half of this year.
Guang'an of Sichuan province, Lishui of Jiangsu province, Nanhui district of Shanghai, Yingtan and Ruijin of Jiangxi province, Taizhou and Wenzhou of Zhejiang province and Xiamen of Fujian province were the eight cities most frequently hit by acid rain, it said.
(Source: China Daily)
