LG among companies and institutes fined for dumping wastewater

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2015-01-11

A wastewater treatment facility at a village in Guangzhou, Jan. 8. (File photo/Xinhua)

South Korean multinational conglomerate LG Electronics has been one of the companies heavily fined for dumping wastewater in Guangzhou, Guangdong province last year, reports local newspaper Information Times.

The Guangzhou Environmental Bureau published a list of companies fined and punished for the excessive dumping of wastewater last year on Friday. LG was fined 86,432 yuan (US$13,900) in the fourth quarter. It was not the first time the South Korean company was fined for pollution. In October last year, residents near the city's science development zone complained of strong odors from LG's factories. The bureau said the company received more than 23 complaints between June and October last year. The company has made six attempts to improve its facilities, such as the creation of sewage treatment facilities, since then.

The bureau also fined Guangzhou Paper Group 100,000 yuan (US$16,100) for failing to have its automatic pollutant monitoring devices verified. Lianzhou Guangzhou Stainless Steel was fined twice for dumping wastewater exceeding safety levels.

Of the medical institutions fined, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center was fined 17,458 yuan (US$2,800) in the first quarter last year. It is one of the five hospitals that received a penalty for dumping wastewater during the period. The bureau fined another five local hospitals for the same reason in the second quarter. Guangzhou Da'an Clinical Examination Center Limited was the only company fined for dumping polluted wastewater in the third quarter.