Chinese native sues government over worsening smog

BBC News said that a Chinese man has filed a complaint against his local government over worsening air pollution in China. Li Guixin has been reported to have submitted a complaint with a Hebei district court in Shijiazhuang, which is near Beijing.

The UK news agency said Shijiazhuang, which is approximately 260 kilometers southwest of the mainland capital, is regarded as a busy industrial center for steel and chemical production. In the last six days, severe pollution has affected the air quality in northern China, with several particle reading results posted levels over ten times the internationally-accepted safety limit. Smog levels in the mainland regularly top levels considered by World Health Organization as hazardous, with a state representative of the global organization commenting that the air quality in China has reached crisis levels.

Citing a local newspaper, Li is said to have demanded the environmental bureau of the city to control the thick smog that has been blanketing northern China during winter. The complainant is also seeking to recuperate the costs he incurred to cope with the air pollution. In his complaint, he detailed how he have protected himself against the thick smog by wearing face masks, and even said that he purchased an air purifier and treadmill to be able to carry out his usual exercises indoors.

BBC said that the local court is deliberating whether to accept the filing made by Li, as the complaint has been rejected by higher courts.

Telling state-run Yanzhao Metropolis Daily about the reasons behind his filing of the case, Li said, "The reason that I'm proposing administrative compensation is to let every citizen see that amid this haze, we're the real victims. Besides the threat to our health, we've also suffered economic losses, and these losses should be borne by the government and the environmental departments because the government is the recipient of corporate taxes: it is a beneficiary."

Tags

China fog, World Health Organization

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