It has been well-known for a long time that China has a problem with air pollution. The country’s dynamic rise in industrial sites has been the culprit and it is a common experience to see the larger cities covered in a thick smog.
However, it has not been so well publicised that China also has a huge problem with water pollution – and it’s only getting worse. The country’s underground water is being contaminated at a very quick pace. And accusations that the problem is caused by deep well factory pollution have only raised the profile of the story and made people panic.
A number of Chinese social activists are accusing factories in Weifang City of illegally dumping their chemical waste into 1,000 metre deep wells. To look into the matter, the Shandong provincial environment authorities had sent 320 officers to over 700 suspected factories to investigate if there is a problem. However, 24 hours later the regulators announced that none of the factories had been discharging waste into the wells.
Nevertheless, the problem of water pollution is easy for all to see and the public seem unconvinced that large companies aren’t to blame. The Chinese authorities have argued that while there have been incidents of companies dumping chemical waste into deep wells, this is not one of the major problems causing pollution.
They have confirmed that the most common practice is to discharge chemicals into rivers and lakes, and these chemicals eventually filter through to the ground aquifer. This is the major cause of the contamination of ground water, specifically in the north of the country.
A recent survey suggested that around 90 percent of China’s underground water supply is not safe to drink, and that 60 percent of it is badly polluted. China must now look into ways to reverse the trend and ensure that water is safe for people to use.
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