China orders the closure of small plants in 10 polluting industries and a curb on the tapping of aquifers in an effort to reign in contamination of its water supply. Probe International Fellow, activist and journalist Dai Qing is quoted for this article by the Financial Times.
“As long as there is a wall in the suburbs and villages around Beijing you can see advertisements for well diggers, and they have to dig deeper and deeper because the aquifer is lower and lower,” said Dai Qing, an environmentalist who has raised the alarm at the rapid drop in aquifer levels.
China has ordered the closure of small plants in 10 dirty industries and a clampdown on the tapping of underground water sources in a renewed effort to tackle contamination.
An action plan released on Thursday lowers import tariffs on components for treatment plants and other equipment used to cut water pollution. The initiative offers to international companies an opportunity as China cleans up after years of unfettered industrialisation.
Pollution is becoming a political liability for the ruling Communist party as citizens become more aware of the extent of the damage done to the country’s air, rivers and soil.
“At present, water quality in some regions of our country is poor, the water ecology has been damaged severely and hidden dangers of environmental problems are prominent,” the report said.
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Additional reporting by Owen Guo
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
Lisa Peryman
Probe Media
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