Villagers' pollution plea
By Zhang Xuanchen |
October 14, 2010, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
VILLAGERS have renewed calls for the government in a coal mining county in southwest China to take action over pollution they say is to blame for hundreds of lung cancer deaths.
With nearly 11 people per village dying from lung cancer every year, the 24 villages in Xuanwei County, Yunnan Province, have been dubbed "cancer villages" by residents, the Yunnan.com news website said.
In 2006, local health authorities launched a cancer prevention and treatment campaign in the worst-hit Laibing Village, which reported 31 deaths last year.
However, residents told reporters the deaths are still rising.
Farmer He Liangzhu, from Tangtang Village, said his parents, younger brother and three uncles had all died of lung cancer. His tragedy is not uncommon in the village, which has become the worst-hit village this year.
The villagers blamed breakneck economic growth for increasingly taking its toll on the health of the county, where more than 30 mines were situated near water sources and farmland, producing millions of tons of coal, copper and iron every year as well as sewage and toxic gas.
Untreated sewage and coal waste were being released into the county's longest river, which was also the main water source for drinking and farming, before proper treatment, villagers said. Meanwhile, smoke from factories had loomed over the villages for years.
Local authorities said they still need time to decide on the connection between the high cancer rate and chemical pollution.
With nearly 11 people per village dying from lung cancer every year, the 24 villages in Xuanwei County, Yunnan Province, have been dubbed "cancer villages" by residents, the Yunnan.com news website said.
In 2006, local health authorities launched a cancer prevention and treatment campaign in the worst-hit Laibing Village, which reported 31 deaths last year.
However, residents told reporters the deaths are still rising.
Farmer He Liangzhu, from Tangtang Village, said his parents, younger brother and three uncles had all died of lung cancer. His tragedy is not uncommon in the village, which has become the worst-hit village this year.
The villagers blamed breakneck economic growth for increasingly taking its toll on the health of the county, where more than 30 mines were situated near water sources and farmland, producing millions of tons of coal, copper and iron every year as well as sewage and toxic gas.
Untreated sewage and coal waste were being released into the county's longest river, which was also the main water source for drinking and farming, before proper treatment, villagers said. Meanwhile, smoke from factories had loomed over the villages for years.
Local authorities said they still need time to decide on the connection between the high cancer rate and chemical pollution.
- 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.
