Southern China’s million-tonne raw sewage problem.
At least a million tonnes of raw sewage pours into the waters of Guangdong’s Pearl River Delta in southern China every day, according to the nation’s top government environmental watchdog.
Greenpeace’s toxics campaigner Deng Tingting said pressure from Guangdong’s huge population was among the main drivers of contamination.
Some 35 of Guangzhou’s 51 waterways were deemed severely contaminated despite the city spending 30 billion yuan (US$4.36 billion or HK$33.86 billion) to try to tackle water pollution.
The report said lax municipal oversight was to blame.
The inspectors examined the results of tests on water quality at 124 monitoring stations along the province’s 69 major rivers, with the rate of compliance with minimum standards falling from 85.5 per cent in 2013 to 77.4 per cent last year, the report said.
Leachate from landfills in Shanghai was draining into rivers while sewage from Chongqing was being discharged directlyinto the Chongqing , the report said.
With almost one-fifth of the world’s population but only 7 per cent of the planet’s fresh water, the mainland has long been plagued by water pollution and scarcity.
“Air pollution is so obvious that everyone can see it,” he said.
“But the water problem has not had enough public attention.” Ma said reversing water contamination was difficult because it required huge investment and the returns were slow.