Company pollutes farms and water
By Wang Qingchu |
November 3, 2010, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A COMPANY in Hebei Province has been found polluting farmland and underground water for years, forcing villagers to drink bottled water.
Heavy smog released by Meihua Monosodium Glutamate Group Co Ltd in Bazhou City, Hebei, has enveloped the area for years, lowering visibility to less than 100 meters. Underground drinking water has been contaminated in 10 nearby villages, Economic Information reported yesterday.
Villagers had to buy bottled water or dig deep wells to find water.
"We have no other choice. We don't want to risk our lives," one villager was quoted as saying.
Their concern was not groundless as providing safe drinking water was mentioned as a key project in 2007-08 in the Bazhou government work report.
"The project has started, but it did not target any specific village or area. The government pays great attention to water safety," said a government official in Dongduan Village, where Meihua Group's factory is located.
Bazhou's Environmental Protection Bureau refused to show a report on air quality and wastewater pumped from Meihua's factory, citing a provincial regulation that a county-level bureau doesn't have the authority to monitor state-controlled enterprises. Bazhou is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Langfang City.
Meihua Group was fined 810,000 yuan (US$121,291) for dumping wastewater and mud on farmland in 2009. It was ordered to carry out a thorough internal reorganization to stop the pollution problem, the report said.
Meihua Group rented thousands of square meters of land from the village government and was supposed to plant trees. It failed to keep the promise.
Instead, it dumped unprocessed wastewater and mud on the fertile farmland, turning it into barren land.
Production at its No.1 branch was suspended indefinitely after the fine, according to an official with Bazhou's environmental watchdog.
However, Meihua Group workers confirmed production resumed a long time ago.
Meihua Group paid 172 million yuan in tax last year, accounting for 9 percent of the region's fiscal income, the report said.
Heavy smog released by Meihua Monosodium Glutamate Group Co Ltd in Bazhou City, Hebei, has enveloped the area for years, lowering visibility to less than 100 meters. Underground drinking water has been contaminated in 10 nearby villages, Economic Information reported yesterday.
Villagers had to buy bottled water or dig deep wells to find water.
"We have no other choice. We don't want to risk our lives," one villager was quoted as saying.
Their concern was not groundless as providing safe drinking water was mentioned as a key project in 2007-08 in the Bazhou government work report.
"The project has started, but it did not target any specific village or area. The government pays great attention to water safety," said a government official in Dongduan Village, where Meihua Group's factory is located.
Bazhou's Environmental Protection Bureau refused to show a report on air quality and wastewater pumped from Meihua's factory, citing a provincial regulation that a county-level bureau doesn't have the authority to monitor state-controlled enterprises. Bazhou is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Langfang City.
Meihua Group was fined 810,000 yuan (US$121,291) for dumping wastewater and mud on farmland in 2009. It was ordered to carry out a thorough internal reorganization to stop the pollution problem, the report said.
Meihua Group rented thousands of square meters of land from the village government and was supposed to plant trees. It failed to keep the promise.
Instead, it dumped unprocessed wastewater and mud on the fertile farmland, turning it into barren land.
Production at its No.1 branch was suspended indefinitely after the fine, according to an official with Bazhou's environmental watchdog.
However, Meihua Group workers confirmed production resumed a long time ago.
Meihua Group paid 172 million yuan in tax last year, accounting for 9 percent of the region's fiscal income, the report said.
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