Home » Feature » News Feature
Mountains brought low by illegal quarrying
Print Edition
IT’S around 9:30pm but deep in the valleys of the Qinling Mountains in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, it’s still light. The brightness is coming from powerful lights illuminating small quarries so that work can continue after sundown, sending huge clouds of dust and other debris into the air.
“Every day we can produce more than 1,000 tons of stones,” the manager of one quarry told the National Business Daily a few days ago.
Despite this output, the quarry is actually “still applying for a mining permit,” he admits.
In recent years, illegal quarrying has devastated the Qinling Mountains, which are known for their green cover and dubbed “the lungs of China.”
Hills that used to be covered in lush vegetation are now denuded of trees, exposing bare earth. Dust and waste drain into slow-flowing, muddy streams and rivers.
China’s massive urbanization has led to a shortage of stones for construction, which has seen speculators illegally encroaching on the Qinling Mountains.
During a recent visit to Shaanxi Province, President Xi Jinping said that the Qinling Mountains “form the boundary between north and south in China.”
Inhabitants around the Qinling Mountains have relied on the abundant resources and seen great industrial development. But this has also brought an environmental crisis, Xi said.
Though the local governments of Xi’an, the provincial capital, and Weinan, the two major cities close to the Qinling Mountains, have launched punishments, the situation is getting worse due to the temptation to make big, quick money supplying the building trade.
Small quarries have appeared hidden deep in the mountains.
According to the regulations from the Land and Resources Bureau of Xi’an, mining is forbidden up to 5 kilometers from the foot of the Qinling Mountains.
While some quarries were shut down during the past few years, quite a few small ones are still working round the clock, according to the National Business Daily.
Laoyu is one of the main valleys, 25 kilometers southwest to Xi’an. Dense forest with streams winding through the valley makes it a popular spot for hikers and tourists.
However, things have changed recently.
The road to the valley has almost been destroyed by heavy industrial vehicles, Rivers flowing through the valley, far from being picturesque, are filled with gray, muddy industrial waste, according to the National Business Daily.
After driving 10 kilometers along the bumpy, winding road, a primitive quarry comes into sight. The noise of machinery is deafening, with trucks carrying stones adding to the cacophony.
Continuing along the road, other small quarries appear. Stones are piled up into a small hills near spring wheat fields.
Apparently, protecting the environment is not a concern of the illegal businesses.
But local villagers complain that their lives have been turned upside down by the noise and dust, and fear the consequences of the damage to their environment.
“Old trees were cut down — all of a sudden they were all gone. But once floods come, it will be extremely dangerous,” says one villager.
Although authorities from the Land and Resources Bureau of Pucheng County say all quarries in its county have been closed down, others soon spring up.
Once a quarry is discovered or reported, an investigation is launched right away, according to officials.
And the stakes are getting higher as the price of stones keeps rising.
“Now a contractor on a construction site in Xi’an will pay between 20 yuan (US$2.78) and 28 yuan for every ton of stones based on their variety — at least 5 yuan more than before,” a local villager tells National Business Daily.
A small quarry can produce 1,000 tons of stones a day — 25,000 yuan in income based on a price of 25 yuan a ton.
Over a year, this represents an annual income of more than 9 million yuan. And being illegal, there are no environmental protection costs to bite into profits.
A report from the Land and Resources Bureau of Xi’an shows that the city has more than 130 concrete manufacturers, creating a huge demand of stones.
Balancing quarrying and environmental protection has become a major issue for the provincial government.
Shaanxi has announced that an investigation into quarries including the number, distribution and capacity should be concluded before June 30.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
