More than 100 officials in Gansu province were held accountable three years ago for illegal coal mining on the northern slope of the Qilian Mountains on the Gansu-Qinghai border. However, nobody has been held accountable yet for illegal coal mining on the southern slope of the mountains in Qinghai province.

Recent media reports say large-scale open-pit coal mines have inflicted irreversible ecological damage on the mountains that are not only the northern rim of the ecologically delicate Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, but also close to the source of the country's mother river, the Yellow River.

The unlicensed mines in this ecologically sensitive area allegedly belong to Qinghai's richest person, surnamed Ma, who has earned more than 10 billion yuan ($1.43 billion) from illegal mining in the past 14 years.

How exactly have his mines escaped environmental and industrial watchdog scrutiny for so long? Had it not been exposed by some media outlets, the nation would have been in the dark about illegal coal mining going on there.

The central authorities attach great importance to the ecological and environmental protection of the Qilian Mountains. President Xi Jinping has issued specific instructions to put an end to illegal mining activities there and promoting environmental protection and restoration.

However, the fact that illegal mining activities are so rampant in Qinghai, despite an ongoing investigation in neighboring Gansu speaks volumes of how weak the accountability system is.

It is high time local departments tasked with environmental and ecological protection work explained their lapses. The central authorities should initiate a probe while turning their accountability system from a province-based to a region-based one.

Actually, the authorities should be using its world-class satellite navigation system, Beidou, to ensure real-time monitoring of regions that are of special environmental and ecological importance to the country.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

Related Links
BeiDou Navigation Satellite System
GPS Applications, Technology and Suppliers

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

China's self-developed BDS officially opens for global users with upgraded services
Beijing (XNA) Aug 03, 2020
China declared the official commissioning of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) on Friday, marking the formal opening of the newly completed BDS-3 system for global users. The BDS system involves efforts of more than 400 agencies and 300,000 research personnel and technicians. The China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), developer of the satellites, has gathered leading experts and manufacturers from around the country, and integrated the most advanced technologies and high-quality mate ... read more