Inside China Today

Inside China Today – Sunday 4th July

- Villagers scramble for water as pollution worsens

- Nanping hit by torrential rain, authorities cover up

- Land rights protest leaves one villager crushed

- Teachers stage kneel-down protest

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Villagers scramble for water as pollution worsens

Pollution continues to plague China’s water sources. Waste from manufacturers is a major contributor to the problem. To avoid polluted water, villagers have funded drilling operations for cleaner underground sources. They’ve been seeking cost effective methods of locating water sources but have surprisingly met with resistance from authorities.

Polluted rivers are filled with manufactured waste, which contain heavy metals, blue algae, and lead. The problem is widespread covering several provinces, including Guangzhou, Jiangsu, and Hunan. The worst affected source is the Yellow River, which flows through the Gansu, Ningxia, and Inner Mongolia provinces.

Environmentalist Li Li spoke extensively to SOH about China’s pollution problems. One of the major contributors was a lack of proper waste disposal mechanisms. Often manufacturers lack water purification systems, farmers overuse chemical fertilizers, and garbage disposal systems are ineffective.

On the overall state of pollution Mr Li had this to say (recording):
“The pollution is very bad. We’ve received many phone calls. One was made by a farmer, who lives near the Wei River, who saw many small manufacturers dumping waste into the river. Everyone knows global warming can be slowed if we care for our environment. We have performed tests from Beijing to Tianjin, and to the Grand Canal. It was an awful experience. The surface of the rivers was covered with filthy, stinking garbage. The floating trash is drifting down from upstream.”

Mr Li told SOH about a village in Henan province where residents appear to have succumbed to poisoning from pollution, developing into a so-called ‘cancer village’. Mr Li said (recording):
“A tenth grade student, from Shangqiu village in Henan, suspects people in his village have been getting cancer from the water. He took water from a well to Beijing for tests and found the water exceeded standard contamination levels in many indexes. That is their drinking water! No doubt they’re getting sick. So many people get cancer…liver, stomach, gullet and intestinal cancer. We really want to return to the village and help change the water.”

In desperation, villagers have begun searching for purer sources of water; Mr Li described this process (recording):
“The water on the surface is more polluted, and the polluted water goes deep underground. In this situation, the wells have to be dug deeper. But it’s expensive to dig deep wells, and the underground water will dry up if it’s over used. They’re trying to develop a cheaper method but can’t get any support from the government.”

Mr Li continued (recording):
“With the pollution by dirty water, the wells have to be deepened, from scores of metres to thousands of metres. With all the underground water being used up, won’t it run out? Now we have a method, building a water tower with biological screening. The water from it meets the standard for drinking water while the expense is cheaper. The cost to dig a deep well is enough to build two or three of our facilities. But we only get support from non-government organisations; the government doesn’t give financial support.”

There is a lot of funding for scientific research into pollution; however research results are often ignored. Mr Li spoke of the extensive efforts made by non-government organisations (recording):
“Scientists working for the government just think about how to get research funds. Many of them put the results aside after they’ve finished their research. They are not put into practice at all. But experts who work in non-government sectors are in very difficult financial situations. I know they are very good experts. They have to do a lot of research. Sometimes they have to investigate in person. They have to spend a lot of money. I have been working here on this field. The centre we built is called ‘The Theatre for Popularising Science’. We put the knowledge of environmental protection on the stage in a simple way, so that people can understand it easily.”

Yu Xin and Hui Hong of the SOH Radio Network

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Nanping hit by torrential rain, authorities cover up

There one day, gone the next. The village of Li Dun is now completely buried under tons of mud after a devastating mudslide in China’s southern Fujian Province on June 18th. Locals say everywhere you look houses are collapsing, unable to withstand the constant battering of the floods. And villagers say authorities have kept the real death toll from the public.

Torrential rain and floods have devastated China’s southern regions for nearly two weeks now. Among the worst affected areas is Nanping City. At least half of all counties in Nanping province have been severely affected by the heavy rain. Just less than two weeks ago the water levels in Nanping’s Guangzhe county were 2 meters high.

And now local residents tell tales of horror scenes often only seen in disaster movies. Mr Chen, a local of Yanping district, tells reporters about the horrific mudslide that swallowed Li Dun village, saying at least 20 were killed.

He said, (recording):
“Many people died. The mountain slope fell into the river, and twenty some people died because of this. The head of Health and Disease Prevention [Centre] in our area is also dead. Thousands of houses haves collapsed and only 4,000 people from a township of 10,000 were allocated temporary shelters. Only three or four out of ten villages see their roads open. There is water stoppages and electricity blackouts. The collapse is so severe that one collapse happens every kilometer. Mountain slopes as wide as 100 meters are collapsed, in huge volumes.”

Mrs. Gong from Siqian village told reporters she witnessed a child being washed away in the river, but the authorities blocked the news. She said Siqian village is among the banks of Futun River, whose banks collapsed in recent years. She says the government embezzled the money reserved for repairmen.

Mrs. Gong tells reporters (recording):
“The source area from which Futun river runs was hit the most. Many houses were [falling] down following the flood on the 19th [of June]. Mudslides swallowed all the houses. My aunt’s family suffered losses [amounting to] tens of thousands of Yuan because of that. Mudslides also left many people homeless and at least 5-6 people are dead, as far as I know. In the county seat, three old people, including kids, were washed away by the water. But the thing is, the government leaders lie about the damage. If there were 10 deaths, they would say only 2 died.”

Torrential rains have caused severe damage and loss of life all across the region. According to Mr Wang of Wangtai township of Yanping district, Nanping, (recording):
“The local government leased the mountains with trees to someone. Many of the trees were cut and sold, so there is no soil preservation. When heavy rain falls, the damage has got to be severe. There are still dead bodies over in our village. All the roads are collapsed; it’s muddy everywhere. We have had no water and electricity for almost a week. We have to use candles; the villagers have not received any disaster relief aids.”
Torrential rain led to floods in many parts of Fujian province. A huge number of houses collapsed, infrastructure was destroyed, and farmlands submerged, causing more than 6 billion dollars in economic losses.

As of 4 pm on the 21st of June, the cities of Nanping, Sanming, Longyan, Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, Ningde, Fuzhou, and Putian have seen a total 664 villages and 2.6 million people affected. In addition, 44,200 houses have collapsed, 76 officially reported deaths have occurred, and 79 are missing.

Lin Li and Meng Mei of the SOH Radio Network

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Land rights protest leaves one villager crushed

300 villagers have clashed with police and demolition crews in Shandong Province. One villager was crushed by a government vehicle during the clash in Taobu Village of Weifang City. Villagers retaliated by destroying the vehicle. They also seized 22 government cars while demanding officials stay away from the village.

Taobu Village first came under target for demolition on April 23rd. Villagers received notice from the Weizi Town government that the 206 National Road was to be rerouted. It meant however that Taobu Village needed to be demolished. Local authorities failed to issue any legal documentation for appropriating the land. On May 26th, the Weizi Town government hired a large construction team to raze the village.

At 9am on June 21st, a massive demolition crew arrived. 60 vehicles were dispatched to carry out the demolition. Villagers came out in protest to block the crew. Song Weiyi was hit and knocked to the ground; he was then run over.

Mr Huang, a Taobu villager described the scene (recording):
“The Town Government, village cadres, public, inspection and legal personnel, came with unregistered vehicles to suppress us. There were 60 vehicles and about 2 – 300 people. Villagers put up the banners at the entrance to defend their village. Some saw how many people we had; so they turn and ran. Villagers stood in front of the trucks. One villager, Mr Song stood in front of a vehicle, but it didn’t stop. It first knocked him to the ground and the vehicle was switched off, afterwards it started up again, and it just crushed him.

A female resident of Taobu Villager also spoke to SOH: (recording)
“That day some vehicles crushed people; the farmers blocked their way and a fight erupted. They crushed Mr. Song and he was taken to hospital at once. Four of his ribs were broken, and pierced his lung, his leg is broken, the bone in his arm is also broken, and he is still unconscious.”

Song Weiyi’s accident infuriated villagers to the point where they beat the driver of the truck. The vehicle was destroyed. They took control of 22 other vehicles, and deflated the tires. Later that evening the local government arranged to have the vehicles taken back. Several trucks waited in the neighbouring Beitao Village. Villagers took turns keeping a lookout.

Mr Huang, a villager said: (recording)
“We don’t let them take the vehicles, if the vehicle which crushed (Song) is driven away, we’ll have no evidence. Right now, we’re taking turns on duty night and day. The vehicles are protected and nothing is damaged. We are not cunning, not wicked, and the inner quality of these people is quite high.”

Local media have been censored from reporting the incident. The Weizi Town government has tried to distance itself from the incident. The license plates of the vehicles have been swapped so any connection with the authorities is removed.

Mr Huang said villagers were now concerned of possible reprisals from the authorities (recording):
“Villagers are afraid the offending vehicle will be taken away. There are still many government vehicles detained here. The villagers are worried of criminal charges. The government will take revenge, it’s not a simple matter of a crowd of villagers creating a disturbance and then letting the matter rest. Indeed, most regular people feel no security; many have their internet monitored.”

Yu Shan and Gu Qinger of the SOH Radio Network.

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Teachers stage kneel-down protest

Police arrested and detained a group of teachers last week in China’s Hubei Province. The crackdown was intended as a warning against large scale appeals, like the Gongan County appeal in April, when over one thousand teachers got down on their knees at the gates to the local county government building, seeking redress for stolen benefits.

Getting on your knees in protest seems like a bold statement, however one teacher explains the cultural significance behind it, saying (recording):
“According to locals, kneeling down is admitting to the need of financial help. Government officials said the teachers disrupted social order. As a result of this incident, most of the teachers have decided to appeal in Beijing.”

A representative for the teacher’s said (recording):
“Right now state managed teachers aren’t afraid of incarceration or death. If the Central Party Committee has policy arrangements, they pay no attention to appeals. They will turn away those who go to Beijing or provincial governments and arrest those who gather in public places. In 2008, a state-managed teacher attempted suicide by eating poison at a district court. County government spent an estimated 200,000 Yuan ($29,500 USD) on treatment for the teacher.”

Teachers’ representative Yang Huanqing was arrested and detained for ten days on the evening of June 23rd. Hu Pukun and Wan Shenggang, who held banners during the appeal, were each detained for five days.

A teacher’s representative said (recording):
“We must see the Central Party leaders. If this issue remains unresolved we will continue to appeal until justice is served.”

Fu Ming and He Wen of the SOH Radio Network.

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