BEIJING - China's Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) has revealed the extraordinary lengths some of the country's textile dyeing and finishing mills will go to in order to avoid falling foul of pollution laws and regulations. A briefing by the government body included the case of one textile mill which had connected its treated wastewater to a drinking water pipe in order to dilute the treated wastewater and prevent readings from exceeding the limits for pollutant emissions. Evidence of China's new hardline approach on textile industry polluters was illustrated when the company was fined 100,000 yuan (US$15,000) for distorting monitoring data, while a company official responsible was held at a detention centre for 15 days.
