BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature on Friday passed a law on soil pollution prevention and control, as the country has escalated its fight against pollution.
The law was adopted after the third reading at a session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) that runs from Monday to Friday.
The new law filled the legal void on soil protection and will go into effect on January 1, 2019.
National standards for soil pollution risk control will be set by the environmental authority of the State Council based on soil's contamination status, public health risks and ecological risks, among others, according to the law.
The law also states that a nationwide soil condition census should be conducted at least once every 10 years.
A network of monitoring stations should be established nationwide, with data and other information collected shared among authorities in environmental, agricultural, natural resources, housing, water resources, health and forestry and grassland sectors, it said.
