China's environment watchdog has penalized five environmental impact assessment agencies, including a ministry department, for "poor quality" and "inadequate managerial systems".

The State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) pointed out "many technical problems" in two environmental impact assessment reports on road projects in northwest China's Xinjiang region written by the environmental protection center under the Ministry of Communications.

The ecological condition surveys in the two reports were "incomplete" and the reports had no clear objectives in analyzing ecological impacts and protection measures, the SEPA said.

The description of ambient noise within the assessment area was "unclear", which failed to meet required standards, it said.

The SEPA returned the two reports to the center and suspended the license of its chief composer Li Qiong for three months. Li is the first environment impact assessment engineer punished for "coarse work".

The other agencies receiving punishments were the Shanghai Environmental Protection Development Center, the Shanghai Environmental Protection Technology Consulting Service Center, the Shanghai Environment and Energy Saving Engineering Co. Ltd., and the Shanghai University, the SEPA said.

(Xinhua News Agency October 9, 2007)