The Ministry of Public Security has called for investigations into 45 pollution cases in provinces to crack down on pollution in the Yangtze River.

Vice minister Huang Ming stressed "zero-tolerance" to pollution in the river as well as strong efforts to solve the cases, at a Monday meeting attended by officials from the office of the leading group for Yangtze River Economic Belt development, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Transport.

Huang called for thorough digging into old cases, the timely dealing of new cases, firmly destroying criminal networks and cutting off illegal profit chains.

Huang also asked public security organs at all levels to cooperate to crack down on environmental pollution crimes along the river.