SHIJIAZHUANG, Jan. 4 -- A one-month environmental protection inspection of north China's Hebei Province began on Monday, at the behest of central authorities.

The inspection will continue till Feb. 4, examining implementation of Party and state environment policy by the provincial Communist Party of China (CPC) committee and local government, including their handling of environmental problems and what they are doing to improve the situation.

The inspection team has set up a hotline and a mail box for public consultation.

Inspectors nationwide are focused on how provincial-level Party committees and governments carry out their environmental duties, according to the Ministry of Environment. Teams report major problems to the central authority and inspection results are passed to the organization department of the CPC Central Committee as part of official appraisals.

Central authorities plan to inspect each of the provincial regions in China every two years, "China Environment News" reported last month.