Many locals share that sentiment, prompting speculation that universities may
eventually be asked to find recruits for the "swimathon." Local newspapers
reported that government officials might also resort to dumping chlorine into
the river or releasing fresh water from upstream reservoirs as a temporary fix.
One local government environmental official ducked a reporter's question on
whether the water was safe for swimmers, saying it was up to other experts to
decide.
"They know the water isn't suitable for swimming if we look at the quality,
but they want to push people to pay more attention to water protection," says Li
Shiyu, dean of environmental science at Zhongsan University in Guangzhou.
Such political grandstanding is nothing new in China, though the focus on the
environment is. In part, it reflects the greater visibility of such issues in
Beijing in the wake of a series of industrial accidents and health scares,
including a toxic chemical spill last November in the Songhua River.
China's sulfurous skies, filled with emissions from coal-fired plants and an
expanding auto industry that sells 24,000 new units a day, also have a global
impact. Some predictions say China will overtake the US as the largest producer
of greenhouse gases within 20 years.
Ever alert to their own hold on power, Chinese policymakers have cited a risk
of further social unrest if local officials fail to regulate industries
properly. While land disputes are perhaps the common flashpoint in China, rural
residents have also vented fury over the contamination of drinking water and
farmland by factories and mines.
Beijing now says it will weigh economic growth in provinces against
environmental protection. But enforcement of environmental laws is spotty. In
theory, China's State
Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), a national
agency with provincial offices, should be a check on local officials. But that
is rarely the case, say critics.
"[SEPA's] function is to monitor provincial operations, but they are actually
funded by the provincial government whose main concern is economic growth, so
it's difficult for [SEPA] to really function," says Yang Ailun, a Greenpeace
activist in Guangzhou.
Given its wealth and reputation as the world's workshop, the Pearl River
Delta could offer clues on China's ability to balance growth with the
sustainable use of natural resources.
While its rivers and skies have taken a pounding, observers say the
degradation pales in comparison with other industrialized parts of China that
have less money to spend on cleaning up.
Guangzhou has begun collaborating with Hong Kong on monitoring air pollution
that often blankets Hong Kong's famed skyline. Guangzhou's middle class is
growing more health-conscious, and "green" groups have sprouted on university
campuses.
But despite the addition of new water-treatment plants in Guangzhou, experts
say that there's a long way to go. A study completed last year on marine life in
the Pearl River estuary found high levels of toxic metals. Shrimp contained 16
times the level of recommended cadmium, according to researchers, who identified
industrial pollution as the likely cause.
"Factory discharge along the Pearl River is under better control compared
with five years ago," says Li Xiangdong, a professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic
who coauthored the study. "But even if you control one or two [polluters], the
others are still there. It's a widespread problem for water quality."