The Ministry of Environmental Protection has briefed the press on the country’s ongoing battle against pollution, with pledges to improve information transparency.
Members and deputies of the two sessions experienced air pollution firsthand when smog and sandstorms covered the capital for the better part of last week. But the situation elsewhere has been even worse. The Environmental Protection Ministry says some heavily polluted cities in China see more than 200 smoggy days a year.
Wu Xiaoqing, Vice Minister of Environmental Protection Ministry, said, "From now on we’ll invest more effort in fighting pollution, and improving information transparency. We’ll start releasing information on industry pollutant emissions, and integrate more public supervision."
Public scrutiny is growing. CPPCC members this year have submitted more than 5000 proposals to the government. One tenth related to the environment. It’s the severe air pollution this year in many Chinese cities that has put this issue in the spotlight.
Pollution in China’s rural areas has existed for a long time, but it hasn’t received enough attention. Right now huge volumes of pollutants are being transferred from urban to rural areas.
In some of the worst cases, solid waste is piled up in villages, polluting the air, surface, and ground water, and threatening the well-being of people in the countryside.
Wu said, "This issue is still pressing. We will work out comprehensive anti-pollution plans to clear up waste and ensure drinking water safety in rural areas. We’ll pinpoint local government responsibilities and rate the results through achievement assessments."
Many more questions have been raised, but for the public, actions speak louder than words.