The untreated waste of excrement and urine is seen being dumped into the Yangtze River near the Egongyan Bridge in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Jan 2, 2015. [Photo/chinanews.com]

Many have laid the blame on local environmental protection officials for patchy law enforcement, but these officials have their own issues too.

Luo Hui, head of the environmental protection bureau in Bama County, a famous "Longevity County" known for its breath-taking natural environment in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said environmental inspection staff were thin on the ground, particularly at the county level, which impacted on the effectiveness of supervision work.

"In Bama, we have hundreds of thousands of tourists every year, putting huge environmental pressure on us, but our bureau only has seven employees," Luo said.

Wang Canfa, director of the research and service center of environment and resource laws under the China University of Political Science and Law, said local environmental officials were usually caught between a rock and a hard place: In the middle of government heads and polluters.

"One the one hand, they need to stop pollution, on the other, government heads usually ask them to be tolerant of big polluters who pay sizable taxes," Wang said. "But when scandals like that in Lukang are exposed, these officials are the first to be punished."

To tackle the problem, the government needs to enhance cooperation with the public and encouraging them to report incidents, said Luo Guo'an, a research fellow with Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences.

Luo added that the government should step up investment in environmental protection, particularly at the local level.

"Specific penalties are needed to target at those who violate environmental regulations," he added.