Some environmental impact reviews of construction projects in China are flawed, the country's top environmental watchdog has revealed.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) launched a spotcheck on environmental impact reviews of 282 construction projects between November 2009 and March 2010, and found that 48 of them were of "relatively low quality", according to a document published on the ministry's website.

"A majority of the 282 projects are either heavy polluting industries, such as petrochemical and metallurgy plants, or projects that are of high public concern, such as landfills," the document said.

According to China's Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Law, which took effect in 2003, an environmental review report, which identifies a project's potential impact on the environment and proposes measures to rectify the problems, should be complete and approved by environmental authorities before construction begins.

The central government has repeatedly underlined the importance of EIA in a bid to curb pollution and excessive investment.

The environmental impact reviews were conducted by 75 companies or institutions, among which 30 were found to be violating related regulations.

Following the inspection, MEP revoked the licenses of four EIA conductors, and asked the other 26 to make modifications immediately.

Inaccurate EIA reports at provincial levels, driven by economic interests, are threatening the effectiveness of this mechanism, Ma Yun, who has worked in the EIA industry for three years, was quoted in 21st Business Herald as saying.

An investigation by the NPC Standing Committee in 2008 found that some EIA conductors were related or even affiliated to environmental authorities that approved the reviews, severely damaging the integrity of the evaluating mechanism.

In 2009, MEP vetoed 49 projects with a total investment budget of 190 billion yuan over environmental concerns.

(China Daily July 3, 2010)