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Environmental watchdog 'poodle' barks to warn polluters of probes
By Ni Tao |
February 21, 2013, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
POLLUTION comes as no news in China, where nearly not a day goes by without its citizens hearing about another environmental incident.
Still, the latest pollution saga unfolding in Shandong Province has raised eyebrows, as it appears to reveal disturbing developments in what is supposed to be a battle between polluters and watchdogs.
Environmental authorities in Weifang City recently came under fire for allegedly protecting polluting businesses accused of pumping untreated sewage into the aquifer through deep wells.
The drama started with a microblog entry in which a whistle blower revealed that chemical factories in Weifang have been illegally discharging raw industrial waste over 1,000 meters deep underground for years.
The local environmental bureau moved fast. Only after two days, it said that a citywide probe had been conducted of 715 companies and no illegal waste disposal was detected.
The authorities also launched a 24-hour hotline with a 100,000-yuan (US$16,130) reward for whoever provides verifiable information of illegal discharge. Only one of the eight public tip-offs received so far is confirmed, Beijing Youth Daily quoted a Weifang official as saying yesterday.
While many doubt how genuine and thorough such a speedy investigation could be - to inspect 715 businesses in two days is a big job - their suspicion was fueled by another revelation that marked a new twist to the episode.
An emergency notice - supposedly issued by the watchdog informing factories of forthcoming visits by CCTV reporters on a fact-finding trip and ordering them to cease pollution - was posted online, raising serious questions about possible collusion between the watchdog and polluters.
Again, the authorities denied the charge that it has tipped off businesses.
Innocence hard to prove
But there are hard questions to answer if they want to prove their innocence.
The notice required all chemical factories to ensure waste disposal facilities are "up and running" for the press crew's unannounced visit, banned the practice of pouring any liquid into rainwater pipes, and most suspiciously, asked them not to obstruct reporters.
Were they not aware of the scale of pollution, why would officials suggest such specific countermeasures?
Moreover, what law justifies the bureau's move to alert businesses to the coming scrutiny? In spite of adamant denial, its action hints too strongly at its role as an informant.
Xinhua opined on Tuesday that if it's proven that a government agency had helped businesses in outmaneuvering undercover reporters and attempting cover-ups, it would be "utterly saddening."
Perhaps Xinhua didn't intend it, but "saddening" clearly downplayed the level of public anger at the watchdog's presumed collaboration with polluters. Appalling is the right word.
The public has good reason to assume the worst, for their environmental officials have a spotty record.
About two years ago, the Shandong Environmental Protection Department, the higher authority, released a report saying a chemical plant in rural Weifang was found to have discharged effluent underground, polluting groundwater and damaging crops as a result.
The case was also exposed by media, not the watchdog itself.
A watchdog that fails to sniff out wrongdoers is unqualified, worse if it becomes their poodle, barking only to warn them of imminent danger.
It is still unclear if proof can be found of illegal underground discharge of effluent in Weifang. But the city's government clearly faces a credibility crisis.
It has been a source of embarrassment for many official environmental guardians that members of the public are always ahead of them in detecting pollution, though their findings and accusations are not always well-grounded.
And when the public demands an inquiry, the first reaction of those guardians is to spin their way out of trouble.
In the Weifang case, the stunt of financially rewarding valid whistle blowing is a ludicrous move, especially in view of the perfunctory probe, because it is the environmental bureau's job to go after polluters, rather than passively confirm reports of offense.
While it's far too early to suggest that polluters in Weifang are under some sort of patronage of the environmental watchdog, that's undoubtedly how many people perceive the situation.
Coming clean will be tricky, but necessary if the authority still takes its credibility seriously.
Still, the latest pollution saga unfolding in Shandong Province has raised eyebrows, as it appears to reveal disturbing developments in what is supposed to be a battle between polluters and watchdogs.
Environmental authorities in Weifang City recently came under fire for allegedly protecting polluting businesses accused of pumping untreated sewage into the aquifer through deep wells.
The drama started with a microblog entry in which a whistle blower revealed that chemical factories in Weifang have been illegally discharging raw industrial waste over 1,000 meters deep underground for years.
The local environmental bureau moved fast. Only after two days, it said that a citywide probe had been conducted of 715 companies and no illegal waste disposal was detected.
The authorities also launched a 24-hour hotline with a 100,000-yuan (US$16,130) reward for whoever provides verifiable information of illegal discharge. Only one of the eight public tip-offs received so far is confirmed, Beijing Youth Daily quoted a Weifang official as saying yesterday.
While many doubt how genuine and thorough such a speedy investigation could be - to inspect 715 businesses in two days is a big job - their suspicion was fueled by another revelation that marked a new twist to the episode.
An emergency notice - supposedly issued by the watchdog informing factories of forthcoming visits by CCTV reporters on a fact-finding trip and ordering them to cease pollution - was posted online, raising serious questions about possible collusion between the watchdog and polluters.
Again, the authorities denied the charge that it has tipped off businesses.
Innocence hard to prove
But there are hard questions to answer if they want to prove their innocence.
The notice required all chemical factories to ensure waste disposal facilities are "up and running" for the press crew's unannounced visit, banned the practice of pouring any liquid into rainwater pipes, and most suspiciously, asked them not to obstruct reporters.
Were they not aware of the scale of pollution, why would officials suggest such specific countermeasures?
Moreover, what law justifies the bureau's move to alert businesses to the coming scrutiny? In spite of adamant denial, its action hints too strongly at its role as an informant.
Xinhua opined on Tuesday that if it's proven that a government agency had helped businesses in outmaneuvering undercover reporters and attempting cover-ups, it would be "utterly saddening."
Perhaps Xinhua didn't intend it, but "saddening" clearly downplayed the level of public anger at the watchdog's presumed collaboration with polluters. Appalling is the right word.
The public has good reason to assume the worst, for their environmental officials have a spotty record.
About two years ago, the Shandong Environmental Protection Department, the higher authority, released a report saying a chemical plant in rural Weifang was found to have discharged effluent underground, polluting groundwater and damaging crops as a result.
The case was also exposed by media, not the watchdog itself.
A watchdog that fails to sniff out wrongdoers is unqualified, worse if it becomes their poodle, barking only to warn them of imminent danger.
It is still unclear if proof can be found of illegal underground discharge of effluent in Weifang. But the city's government clearly faces a credibility crisis.
It has been a source of embarrassment for many official environmental guardians that members of the public are always ahead of them in detecting pollution, though their findings and accusations are not always well-grounded.
And when the public demands an inquiry, the first reaction of those guardians is to spin their way out of trouble.
In the Weifang case, the stunt of financially rewarding valid whistle blowing is a ludicrous move, especially in view of the perfunctory probe, because it is the environmental bureau's job to go after polluters, rather than passively confirm reports of offense.
While it's far too early to suggest that polluters in Weifang are under some sort of patronage of the environmental watchdog, that's undoubtedly how many people perceive the situation.
Coming clean will be tricky, but necessary if the authority still takes its credibility seriously.
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