In the recent China Dialogue Article Defending Water Security, Ma Jun writes a very compelling piece on what can happen when weak environmental protection is allowed to continue.
Following the recent events in Yancheng, the article shows the time line leading up to the spill possessed not only multiple opportunities to prevent the accident, but that local officials were fully aware that it was only a matter of time before an accident happened:
In the meeting that set out the plan, one city leader described the threat from chemical plants as a time bomb threatening water security in Yancheng. He cited a chemical leak at Longfeng Aromatics, strange odours coming from the river in 2004 and 2005 and a waste leak from Anhu Agricultural Chemicals in 2007.
However, one year later Yancheng extended the deadline for closing or relocating 10 of the firms until the end of 2009. These firms included Biaoxin. Indecision and delay meant a serious incident was permitted to happen. On February 20, Biaoxin dumped 30 tonnes of phenol-contaminated effluent into the Mangshe River.
It is a decision tree that unfortunately is rooted very deeply in China. One where attitudes are incubated to believe that either it won’t happen to them, or that if it does happen, someone else will be held responsible for it persists.
Going forward though, and perhaps Ma Jun could have added a bit of punch with this, is that there are problems all over China that are festering because weak enforcement and sense of responsibility are inhibiting action. .. and that we are only going to see problems grow in frequency and size
If we want to drink clean water, we need to control pollution and stop projects that contaminate our rivers. This requires widespread participation in environmental management and policymaking. Understanding the environmental costs and benefits of various projects will help us find a balance and a negotiated compromise between different interests. We have no time to waste: to protect our water we need a new type of decision-making. It will test the will and the capacity of government at all levels to implement the scientific view of development.