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Let's dare watchdogs to brave filthy water
By Ni Tao |
February 22, 2013, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
WE know the term bounty hunter, and now a new term may have been coined: bounty swimmer. The bounty swimmer faces a far less dramatic but more perilous mission than bringing in a fugitive. It requires him to swim in a rank river where few dare to dip their toes.
Recently a self-proclaimed businessman challenged the environmental chief of Rui'an City, Zhejiang Province, to swim for 20 minutes in a highly polluted river for a cash reward of 200,000 yuan (US$32,258).
The businessman, who went by the alias "Jin Minzeng," blogged that rubber shoe factories discharge effluent into waterways, contributing to high incidence of cancer among residents.
Caught off guard, the environmental watchdog responded curtly that the river was polluted by household refuse, a pollutant beyond its purview.
In a country where we are accustomed to officials passing the buck, such a response is hardly surprising. Rui'an's case clearly has encouraged copycat dares, with the rewards rising to as high as 300,000 yuan. Another netizen has urged the environmental boss of Cangnan County, also in Zhejiang, to swim for 30 minutes in a murky, fetid river.
Although no sensible person would expect the swimming escapades to really happen, the episode illustrates the public' growing environmental concerns and frustration with the lack of cleanup efforts.
While officials may feel they are made to look stupid by what they dismiss as "farce," we welcome more of these dares, for it keeps the government on its toes, and does so in a dramatic, innocuous way that can only be good for promoting the civic spirit.
Recently a self-proclaimed businessman challenged the environmental chief of Rui'an City, Zhejiang Province, to swim for 20 minutes in a highly polluted river for a cash reward of 200,000 yuan (US$32,258).
The businessman, who went by the alias "Jin Minzeng," blogged that rubber shoe factories discharge effluent into waterways, contributing to high incidence of cancer among residents.
Caught off guard, the environmental watchdog responded curtly that the river was polluted by household refuse, a pollutant beyond its purview.
In a country where we are accustomed to officials passing the buck, such a response is hardly surprising. Rui'an's case clearly has encouraged copycat dares, with the rewards rising to as high as 300,000 yuan. Another netizen has urged the environmental boss of Cangnan County, also in Zhejiang, to swim for 30 minutes in a murky, fetid river.
Although no sensible person would expect the swimming escapades to really happen, the episode illustrates the public' growing environmental concerns and frustration with the lack of cleanup efforts.
While officials may feel they are made to look stupid by what they dismiss as "farce," we welcome more of these dares, for it keeps the government on its toes, and does so in a dramatic, innocuous way that can only be good for promoting the civic spirit.
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