Source: Straits Times (Singapore), April 3, 2013
Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com
A new “environmental time bomb” is ticking away in China, according to a new Greenpeace report citing tonnes of hazardous waste being dumped illegally by fertiliser manufacturers near residential areas.
Investigations carried out by the environmental activist group in several areas in south-western Sichuan province last year found mountain-like dumps of phosphogypsum, a by-product of phosphate fertiliser production.
In one instance, a 20-m-tall heap stretching 1km sits about 100m from Baiyi village and right next to the Mawei river in Mianzhu county.
China’s laws require hazardous waste to be stored more than 800m away from residential areas and at least 150m from surface water bodies.
“What’s worse is that phosphogypsum commonly contains a variety of extremely harmful substances,” Greenpeace campaigner Lang Xiyu told a media briefing yesterday.
Laboratory tests on samples collected from five companies accused of illegal dumping showed inorganic fluoride contents of up to 802 mg per litre, far exceeding the 100mg/l requirement.
Lang believes the dumping problem stems in part from overproduction in China’s phosphate fertiliser industry, which is the biggest in the world.
Total production hit 19.9 million tonnes last year, up 168 per cent from 7.4 million tonnes in 2001. Every tonne of fertiliser produced results in up to five tonnes of waste.
As a result, China has accumulated at least 300 million tonnes of phosphogypsum, which means 200kg of hazardous waste for each of the country’s nearly 1.4 billion population, said Lang.
These wastes, said to be occupying up to 10,000ha of land nationwide, could exacerbate China’s existing environmental problems, such as air, water and soil pollution, he added.
The group said it picked Sichuan – specifically six towns, including some hit by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake – for its investigations as the province is a key fertiliser production base, along with central Guizhou and Hubei, and south-western Yunnan. The four account for over 70 per cent of the national output.
Lang said the fertiliser industry is a new area of focus for Greenpeace, which has conducted investigations and lifted the lid on other environmental issues like river and air pollution.
Decades of rapid development have resulted in massive ecological damage and raised the ire of an increasing vocal population. Environmental issues are a political hot potato for the Chinese government, which has pledged to take tougher action against violators.
Greenpeace wants the government to suspend the operations of errant companies, cut overcapacity in the industry and provide aid, such as health checks and legal assistance for affected residents to seek compensation, said Lang.
“We can no longer afford to continue ignoring 300 million tonnes of waste polluting our soil, water and air.”
Paying the high price of pollution
China is paying a high price for pollution, according to costs incurred for environmental degradation tallied by the Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning:
2004: More than US$62 billion or 3.05 per cent of GDP 2008: About US$185 billion, or 3.9 per cent of GDP 2010: US$230 billion, or 3.5 per cent of GDP