Blog 4: China bars water-polluting projects

 The Ministry of Enviroment Protection in China has prohibited the districts of Siping, Hefei, Liu'an, Kunming, Enshi Tujia, and Miao from starting projects that have a high potential for water pollution. Furthermore, the Ministry will not allow any projects in those districts in the future that threaten the . water quality. This is part of the 2011-2015 plan from the Chinese government to diminish water pollution. It is an 82 billion dollar project. Their goal is to have 60 percent of the waterways in China be clean enough to be used for drinking water by 2015, the Yangtze and Yellow River especially. These two rivers is where the Ministry of Environment Protection has placed two water pollution control guidelines and is being used as drainage site from the listed districts. According to the Ministry, those districts also failed to meet standards set in 2012 in their five-year plan to reduce and manage water pollution in China. The spokesperson described the situation as "grave" and spoke of widespread pollution in rural areas that was unaffected by previous pollution control projects.

The pollution in China has gotten so high, that an 82 billion dollar, 5-year plan just for water pollution had to be implemented. The Chinese government's eagerness to reduce water pollution in Siping, Hefei, Liu'an, Kunming, Enshi Tujia and Miao is promising, yet could end up inadequate. While doing something is for the most part better than doing nothing, the Chinese government's enforcement of pollution control should have been implemented and enforced decades ago. It's disappointing that they've allowed the pollution to get so bad that just 60 percent clean water is considered an acceptable goal. The Yangtze has long been an important river in China and that is still true today, proven by the government's effort to prevent waste drainage into its water. This effort has merit and shows an interest in maintaining the ecosystem of China and the health of its citizens. There is hope that these efforts will prove beneficial and shows an interest in environmental protection that for now outweighs the industrial growth of a very industry-focused nation.



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