The Chinese government is considering increasing fines on polluters to pay for water cleanup programs.

Industrial growth has accelerated in the country, leaving the country’s waterways carrying the leftovers. The ministry has proposed a plan to eliminate a decade-old cap of 1 million yuan ($132,000) on fines for water polluters. According to the China Daily newspaper, watchdogs would be empowered to levy penalties of 20 to 30 percent of a direct-economic loss caused by an event.

The newspaper cited an example of an explosion at a chemical plant that was operated by a subsidiary of China’s biggest oil company, state-owned China National Petroleum Corp., killed eight people and forced 10,000 more to flee their homes. The pollution forced the city of Harbin to shut down its water supply for days and sent toxins flowing into Russia. The fine of $132,000 was insufficient to cover the direct economic losses of $74 million caused by the spill. The new guidelines would have allowed the government to fine the company a minimum of $14.8 million.