Newspaper review (3)

Date of article: 26 November 2008
Title: China’s dying river
Section: Straits times-(world page A8)
Overview of article:
China’s “mother river”, which supplies water to millions of people in the country’s parch north, is dying rapidly. A third of the yellow river is so heavily polluted by untreated industrial waste that it is unsafe for any form of use, according to the results of a new survey reported by state media. The yellow river has seen its water quality deteriorate rapidly in the last few years, as discharge from factories increases and water levels drop because of diversion to booming cities.
The yellow river conservancy committee said 33.8% of the river’s water sampled registered worse than level 5, which means that it is unsafe for drinking, industrial use and agriculture. On the other hand, only 16% of the sample reached level 1 or 2, which is considered safe for household use.
China’s state council launch a nationwide campaign to reduce the discharge of pollutants from industrial firms last year in an effort to address the problem but the government still faces an uphill task.
Reflections:
China is a country that is developing and produces a lot of industrial waste yearly. However, tonnes or waste are not disposed of properly. Although legislation is in place for governing water pollution in China, laws are not strictly enforced. Factories and companies are fined a small amount for their water and air pollution, but many companies find it cheaper to continue polluting and pay the fine, rather than make significant changes to their production.As such, industries dispose the waste directly into rivers, rather than spending money to treat them.
China, being a water deficient country, faces water shortages in many parts of the country. However, a more serious situation is that over 300 million people in China do not have access to pure drinking water. A large part of them are drinking polluted water every day and they might suffer from diseases in the future. The government is trying its best to clear the river and reduce the impact, but the damage had already been done. However, the government can reduce the impact of pollution by clearing up rivers, imposing heavier fines and more checks on factories to ensure that the current situation is not worsen and try to reduce the pollution of the river.
melvin