BEIJING — China's Ministry of Public Security has ordered police across the country to strictly enforce the law and crack down on crimes damaging the ecological environment in the Yellow River basin.

The crackdown, as part of the special operation "Kunlun 2021," aims to promote environmental conservation and high-quality development in relevant areas, the ministry said in a statement on Aug 17.

The ministry has ordered police along the river to strictly deal with criminal acts harming ecological elements at the water source areas, as well as illegal sand excavation, mining, fishing and poaching.

Police forces have also been asked to crack down on illegal use of forest and grasslands, illegal lumbering and acts threatening rare and endangered wildlife.

These efforts are to help in the water supply conservation in the river's upstream areas, the ecological protection and restoration in the midstream areas, and the wetland and ecological conservation in the downstream areas, the statement said.

It also urged coordinated efforts in pollution control and crackdown on food security violations.

Authorities also stressed that the organizers, business operators and those who benefited from the violations should all be stringently dealt with so as to cut the profit chains in such crimes.