A new batch of the third round of central environmental inspections has been officially launched, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced on Friday.

Eight ecological and environmental protection inspection teams have been formed to conduct month-long inspections in provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, Sichuan, and Guizhou.

Four major central enterprises, namely China National Petroleum Corporation, China Petrochemical Corporation, China National Chemical Corporation, and China National Chemical Engineering Group Corporation, will also be inspected.

During the inspection period, each team will set up phone lines and postal addresses to receive public reports and complaints regarding environmental protection issues related to the inspected provinces and enterprises, the ministry said.

The third round of central environmental inspections was launched in November last year. The previous batch started in May and inspected seven cities and provinces nationwide.