The news comes amid growing public concern about the impact of years of turbo-charged growth on the environment and people's health, thanks in large part to the winter's terrible air pollution in Beijing and other areas of the country.

Public awareness of the widespread problems is soaring. The groundwater of two thirds of cities is severely polluted, according to official data, while two-fifths of rivers are tainted.

But scientists warn that soil pollution is likely to prove a larger long-term problem than air and water contamination, affecting food production and human health.