Soil conditions are on the up in Huhtala Grassland in Hohhot, in Inner Mongolia [Photo/Hohhot Daily]

Hohhot in North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region has been improving its soil conditions in the wake of the introduction of a raft of policies and regulations -- including the Implementation Plan of Soil Pollution Prevention and Control in Hohhot and the Three-year Plan on Soil Pollution Prevention and Control in Hohhot (2018-2020), according to a report in the Hohhot Daily.

Officials said emphasis is being placed on tightening up industrial pollution sources, urban residential pollution sources, agricultural sources and other sources, and the city's soil environmental quality has steadily improved.

That was after Hohhot fully carried out a detailed investigation of its soil pollution.

A list of key municipal soil supervision agencies was announced and 23 companies with high soil pollution risks were identified for long-term supervision.

On this basis, in 2019 Hohhot completed a detailed investigation of agricultural land soil environmental quality in two districts, four counties and one banner and carried out a survey of companies in key industries. As a result, Hohhot ordered two companies to reduce their emissions of mercury.

In 2020, plans for Hohhot are to work hard to further reduce emissions of heavy metals, to comprehensively improve the rural environment and supervise key companies.

Officials said that to date, two heavy metals companies have actively implemented emission reduction measures.

They added that the 23 companies being supervised have all carried out soil self-monitoring, as required.

Officials said comprehensive improvement of the rural environment in 17 villages is proceeding in an orderly manner.